Minister for Environment and Waterways Dr. Mahendra Reddy has praised Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama for leading the way for the establishment of the Fiji National University in 2010 which also saw the amalgamation of a number of tertiary institutions.
Reddy stated this while speaking during the debate on the Review Report on the Fiji National University 2015 Annual Report.
Reddy says this was done when there was shortage of space for students at the University of the South Pacific and students were forced to write notes while sitting on steps and next to windows near the lecture rooms.
Reddy says the then Registrar of USP used to tell the Academics not to enroll large number of students for Accounting studies and students were forced to take programs which were not in their area of interest.
He says it was then when Bainimarama led the way to establish the FNU.
Reddy says FNU’s programs are now also internationally recognised.
Meanwhile, SODELPA’s Ro Filipe Tuisawau says government should not defend the FNU as there have been a lot of controversies at the FNU in the last 10 years.
SODELPA’s Ro Filipe Tuisawau
He says they should also discuss the issue about political interference at academic institutions. Tuisawau claims he was a victim of this when he applied for a position at the FNU in 2011.
In his contribution, Health Minister Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete stated that the Vice Chancellor of the FNU is responsible to University’s Senate which is then responsible to the Council and there are governance mechanisms in place to ensure there is fair and just running of the University and the University meets the desires by which it is founded upon.
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