IN the first of this three part sequel on Tertiary Education (FT Sept 22,07),
I argued for the need for a greater co-ordination of our tertiary education sector to enable us to derive maximum benefit through the full utilisation of our State tertiary education institutions to produce high quality educated and skilled people who will not only address our current skills shortage but also provide leadership in our emerging industries, the professions, and in communities and organisations in both public and private sectors.
I highlighted in that article the importance of providing a facilitative framework in the form of a Fiji Tertiary Education Commission (Fiji TEC) which is to be established under a statutory authority with the task to promote, plan, develop and co-ordinate a high quality tertiary education for Fiji. The Fiji TEC would be responsible to Parliament through the Minister for Education or one of his/her line ministers.
Genesis of the National University of Fiji
I had also highlighted in that article the logical step of bringing together our State tertiary colleges presently run and funded by four government ministries to the tune of $20million annually to form the foundation of a new National University of Fiji (NUF).
This would include for example, the Fiji School of Medicine, Fiji School of Nursing, Fiji College of Agriculture, Fiji Institute of Technology, Fiji College of Advanced Education, Lautoka Teachers College, and with some re-organisation, the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji.
The concept of having all these colleges together is a sound one in the sense that they are all functioning as post-secondary or tertiary institutions and providing education and training for youths and adults mostly within the 18-25 age group. Their rolls include as to be expected, a sizable number of mature age students who come for in-service training, refresher courses, and for continuing education. These institutions pitch their student intake at comparable levels in the post-secondary or tertiary stage, with some recognition for adult and mature age experience for mature students. As they are, these tertiary colleges would together form an adequate basis for a National University of Fiji (NUF)
The fine tuning of this arrangement will ultimately be the responsibility of the Fiji TEC working under the guidelines provided in a revised Fiji Education Act or a new Fiji Tertiary Education Act. In the first instance, work on the development of a relevant legislation and the refinement of the concept of a national university could be guided further particularly with regards to its academic organisation and its funding formulae by a feasibility study document similar to the Morris Report which examined the feasibility of the University of the South Pacific (1966) and the Currie Report for the University of Papua New Guinea (1964).
Bringing together the many tertiary level colleges into one university has got its advantages in the pooling together of all the relevant resources and facilities for the use of all the member colleges of the national university and thereby avoid unnecessary duplication of facilities and resources. This is a similar approach to the one taken by our neighbouring countries in the initial establishment of their institutions like the National University of Samoa, the University of Papua New Guinea among others. Many of the newer universities in Australia which were established after the 1960s and the 1970s started with the amalgamation of many its colleges or colleges of advanced education.
The idea of a national university is also a well established tradition in a situation where the State takes responsibility in establishing a university which would reflect its particular priority and its notion of excellence. They are also looked upon as providing the bench mark for excellence and for relevance in pursuit or focus in a context where there are usually many tertiary institutions that are funded and supported by different agencies and private bodies. The National University of Singapore and the Australian National University are some examples of these.
University organisation
There is a definite advantage in the location of the Tertiary Education Commission administration in a central area where there is available room for extension and which will house the office of TEC director and TEC Administration. As discussed previously, the TEC Administration would include the office of the Director, Administrator, Finance Section, Planning Section, Research & Planning Section and other central facilities like conference facilities and others as required from time to time.
Depending on the recommendation of the feasibility study of the national university each college with its specialisation could constitute a faculty and headed by a Faculty Dean. In many new universities in the developing world which were established after the second world war especially after the period of the so called 'baby boom' in the 1960s, there was a strong push in these new institutions for a greater integration of their disciplines and programs. In the same breath, the universities in the so called 'new world' were called upon by their leaders and intellectuals to provide greater relevance and quality in their scholarship in addressing the problems of development or under-development. The late, Dr James Maharaj reflected these sentiments in his first address to the university at USP in 1975 when he took up the post of Vice Chancellor there.
As part of this movement, there was a push for a more flexible academic organisation and a preference for the use of schools as against faculties in designating major sectors of studies.
While the writer's sympathy is in line with this approach, it could also be argued that it is also possible to build into the faculty system of a national university for example, the need for integration and relevance of academic scholarship in addressing Fiji's development challenges. The legislation would provide for this in its terms of reference.
There could therefore be the faculties of: Health &Medicine, Education, Agriculture, and Technology. In addition, there could be others like Business & Productivity, Applied Science, Arts/Humanities, and a university-wide Services Section that integrates extension and flexible learning, and continuing education for the whole national university.
These divisions could incorporate most fields of studies and disciplines like theology, languages among others that may be seen to be particularly relevant; and these could be merged, expanded or added on to as the need arises.
Special focus on Fiji
The focus on the national university would be to bring the full benefits of academic scholarship and research into Fiji's development. This has to be seen broadly and not narrowly because unless the national university attracts adequate committed quality staff and researchers internationally, this will not happen in a timely manner. .But if we can create the intellectual climate such as the required intellectual freedom and autonomy of scholarship required as well as provide the stability necessary in a globalised knowledge society of which Fiji is increasingly becoming a part, we would have a good chance of success.
The broad outcomes of the national university cannot be seen too narrowly in terms of producing degree or diploma holders but in terms of our creation of new knowledge in research that have relevance to our development, in the creation of our literature, the understanding of our history, the development of our languages in Fiji. A particular focus will have to be given to Fijian and Rotuman and their literature and development; these languages are minority languages of the world and they are found nowhere else, except here.
The national university should have major impacts on our industries, on trade and on the national economy. The focus of research and studies on what constitutes Fiji and its relationship with the world should provide the bases for understanding of ourselves and of each other by way of our languages, cultures and our history, and the outcomes of our research on what constitutes our emerging collective identity, our fears, our hopes, and our aspirations for our future as a nation.
Relationship with USP
Fiji has played an important role in the development of USP. It continues to fund some 75 percent of USP's recurrent budget. Currently, Fiji's contribution to USP's budget in monetary terms represents some $38million. This represents 1.8 times more than what Fiji funds its State tertiary colleges of $21million. There is no doubt that USP has served Fiji well over the years but in Fiji's situation being one of the most developed and diverse economies of the USP region, and certainly the biggest population, its needs can no longer be fully met by USP given the best will in the world.
There is a limit to what regional organisations and for that matter regional universities can do for its member countries and many of us who have held senior posts as scholars as well as senior administrators there, have been conscious for some time and that is, that are many tasks in research and teaching, that could be better done in national as against regional institutions.
This is not by any means a criticism of USP. USP and other regional organisations in the Pacific region are usually obliged to respond to the needs of two, three or more of the member states if they are to secure sufficient funding support for any reasonable length of time.
Thus it is often difficult to secure a long term funding for research or teaching programme in the light of this requirement.USP has been able over the years to carry out high quality programs in selected areas where there has been constant demands and consequently where regional funding and other special funding has been possible.
But in Fiji's case just as it happened in Samoa and to a certain extent in Solomon Islands and Tonga for that matter, plans have been afoot for some time now for national institutions to assume a lot more of the responsibilities for training and research at tertiary level. It is not a question of how or whether that is possible, rather it is only a question of when such arrangements are possible, financially and administratively.
Like in the case of Samoa, Fiji will continue to be a member country of USP but suitable arrangements will have to be done and phased out over a period of time where such training like foundation courses, certificates, diploma and degree courses could be offered fully at the national university.
The Foundation program for example, could be taken over within 12 months notice after the formation of the national university and so are the Certificate and Diploma courses. Except for more specialist degrees where major administrative arrangements need to be in place, most degree courses could be taken over within two or three funding cycles if agreed to mutually by Fiji and USP.
The transfer or taking over of these courses will have a bearing on the financial commitment of Fiji to USP. This therefore has to be done carefully and by an elected government to ensure the continual commitment of the government to these arrangements. Similarly, legislations on the new arrangements for Fiji TEC need to be undertaken also by an elected government
Relationship with existing tertiary institutions in Fiji
It is envisaged that existing tertiary institutions and other 'universities' and tertiary institutions currently operating in Fiji would be affected by this move .The Fiji TEC legislation will stipulate the conditions under which government funding might be available for these institutions if required. The conditions for the registration for all tertiary institutions would also be stipulated in the Fiji TEC provisions.
Through this process, Fiji will have not only a well co-coordinated tertiary system .The tertiary sector will be integrated and poised to contribute fully to serving the needs of Fiji while satisfying the needs of students, the demands of the labour market, the international community, and that of knowledge society.
The views expressed here are those of the author and not those of any institutions where he has affiliations
