A meeting will be arranged soon to address the escalating situation at the University of the South Pacific (USP), where staff members are calling for the removal of Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia.
Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro announced that the meeting will be scheduled according to the availability of the University Council. “We have written to the USP Council’s secretariat requesting a special council meeting,” Radrodro stated. “We are currently in discussions to finalize the meeting date, which will allow council members to be informed of both the date and potential venue. Our goal is to choose a date that accommodates all members so they can participate in the discussion.”
The union’s secret ballot conducted on August 14 showed that over 90 percent of members supported Professor Ahluwalia’s dismissal. The Ministry of Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations supervised the ballot, and more than 550 individuals are now union members. The unions have expressed concerns over Professor Ahluwalia’s governance, particularly regarding staff welfare.
At the recently concluded 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting in Tonga, Professor Ahluwalia assured leaders of the university’s key role in the social and economic transformation of the Blue Pacific through fostering a skilled society. He also informed leaders about significant global changes within the Higher Education sector, including shifts in student demographics and labor mobility issues. “USP is addressing these challenges through themes of consolidation, transformation, innovation, and sustainability,” he stated at the forum.