LABASA — Fiji National University’s Naiyaca Campus in Labasa has taken a visible step out of limbo with students now occupying newly established temporary learning spaces and a campus Foundation Hub and student support centre set to open in the coming weeks. The move marks the latest development in a long-running effort to revive the stalled Naiyaca project and bring tertiary education closer to communities across Vanua Levu.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo‑Baba said the temporary classrooms will ensure teaching and learning continues uninterrupted while plans for permanent infrastructure advance. “Our priority is to ensure that learning continues in a safe and supportive environment. While these are temporary facilities, they represent our determination to keep education accessible and uninterrupted for our students,” she said, framing the interim facilities as a practical response to earlier delays.
The university confirmed the Foundation Hub and student support centre are already on site and are being finalised for opening soon. The hub is intended to centralise services and resources for students, while the support centre will provide academic and welfare assistance, officials said, though a firm opening date has not yet been announced.
A significant ceremonial milestone is now scheduled: FNU has set a groundbreaking for the campus’s permanent infrastructure for the end of August. That ceremony will signal a shift from preparatory works to the construction phase of the permanent campus buildings and is being positioned by university leaders as the next major step in the campus’s long-awaited revival.
The Naiyaca Campus project originally began in 2018 but was repeatedly stalled, prompting earlier statements from FNU about phased approaches to resume construction and targets aiming for completion in 2026. Those earlier updates laid out a phased development strategy prioritising classrooms and essential student facilities; the latest move to open temporary spaces and fix a groundbreaking date indicates the university is transitioning from planning to implementation, though FNU has not issued a new overall completion timeline in this update.
Naiyaca’s redevelopment is part of the broader Vualiku Project, an initiative focused on strengthening infrastructure and services across Vanua Levu. Professor Nabobo‑Baba said the campus forms a central pillar of that vision, promising “good times ahead for Vualiku” and suggesting the upgraded facilities will create opportunities for youth and support long-term national development. The university also reiterated ambitions to expand services to Savusavu and Taveuni, signalling a regional push beyond Labasa.
For students and communities around Labasa, the immediate benefit is clear: teaching and student services are resuming on site rather than remaining dependent on off‑campus or makeshift arrangements. The end‑of‑August groundbreaking will be closely watched as the test of whether the Naiyaca revival can move from symbolic milestones to sustained construction and delivery of a permanent campus.