TWENTY-TWO students will be the first ever to pursue a postgraduate program in Fijian language at the University of the South Pacific (USP).
Funded by the iTaukei Trust Fund Board (TTFB), it is the first Fijian language postgraduate program in the region.
The program is offered by the School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE), Laucala campus.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2009 between the university and the TTFB to support the program.
The TTFB has funded the Bachelor of Arts in Pacific Vernacular – Fijian, and the Diploma in Pacific Vernacular – Fijian for the past 11 years under the MOU.
This financial support from TTFB has enabled the university to develop Fijian language studies into a postgraduate diploma.
School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE) head of school Professor Sudesh Mishra confirmed that once students completed their postgraduate diploma, they would also be able to continue with their Masters and eventually Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
“This is a great achievement and a breakthrough for the university and for Fijian language studies. A culmination of the efforts that were made in the past towards developing Fijian language courses,” he added.
Prof Mishra highlighted the University was working towards developing the USP to become a global centre for Fijian language studies and hoped to see the establishment of a Fijian studies institute within the university.
