Fiji has exercised its authority as a member of the University of the South Pacific Council and requested the Council to convene a Special Council Meeting, which is now set to take place later this month.
In an interview with FijiLive, Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro mentioned that he had reached out to the USP Council Secretariat following discussions with Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad and Minister for Employment Agni Deo Singh.
Radrodro noted that the meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka, while he was acting as Prime Minister at that time. He confirmed receiving a response from the Secretariat with proposed dates for the meeting in September.
Although the Minister has yet to meet with the two USP Unions, he is aware of their concerns and will consider them in the upcoming meeting proposals.
“I hope that good sense will prevail in terms of understanding the situation we are in. The University is a regional institution, and since its headquarters is in Fiji, we are also mindful that most of the staff are Fijian citizens. This is why we are exercising our powers to call for the Special Council Meeting,” Radrodro stated.