Three Cabinet Ministers are scheduled to convene today to discuss plans for an extraordinary meeting between the government and the University of the South Pacific (USP). Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro confirmed yesterday that he has communicated with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka about his ministry’s desire for this special meeting.
The meeting will include Mr. Radrodro, Minister for Finance Biman Prasad, and Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Agni Deo Singh. Radrodro stated, “This matter will be included in the agenda, requesting the USP Secretary to arrange for this meeting.” He noted that the next USP Council meeting is anticipated around October or November, and that the gathering of the three ministers is likely to take place on Monday or Tuesday.
In a related development, the Opposition has called on the government to quickly address the ongoing internal conflict involving staff unions and USP’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia. The University Staff and Support Staff Union (USPU) and the Association of USP Staff (AUSPS) recently secured a mandate for a strike to seek the removal of Professor Ahluwalia, with over 90 percent of union members in favor of the action.
Shadow Minister for Education Hem Chand highlighted that staff unions have been in conflict with university management for several months. “The results of the secret ballot reported in the media indicated significant dissatisfaction among staff regarding the institution’s leadership,” Mr. Chand commented. He emphasized that since about 70 percent of the university’s staff are Fijians, their welfare should be prioritized, especially considering the financial support from the Fijian Government.
Chand reiterated the necessity for the university to concentrate on improving the quality of education and research at USP. He mentioned that Minister Radrodro confirmed Parliament’s awareness of the staff unions’ concerns last week. He warned that failure to resolve these issues could lead to strike actions by the unions, which would disrupt students’ learning experiences.