Fiji National University
On 15 February 2010, Fiji National University formally opened its doors for business. The University was created by virtue of the Fiji National University Act 2009 which amalgamated six government higher education colleges:
- Fiji School of Medicine (est. 1885)
- Fiji School of Nursing (est. 1893)
- Fiji College of Advanced Education (est. 1947)
- Fiji College of Agriculture (est. 1954)
- Fiji Institute of Technology (est. 1963)
- Lautoka Teachers’ College (est. 1978). See History below for more details of the founding colleges.
 | |
| Type | Public University |
|---|---|
| Established | 1885, 2010 |
| Chancellor | Ms Tessa Price |
| Vice-Chancellor | Professor Nigel Healey |
| Students | 20,000+ |
| Location | 18.1416°S 178.4419°E |
| Campus | Nasinu Campus, Nadi Campus, Raiwai Campus (Unistudio), Samabula Campus, Lautoka Campus, Sigatoka Campus, Rakiraki Campus, Ba Campus |
| Website | http://www.fnu.ac.fj/new/ |
In addition to the six founding colleges, the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji (est. 1973) also became part of the new University. Following the creation of the University, the organisation structure was rationalised into five colleges and one national centre:
- College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
- College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies
- College of Engineering, Science and Technology
- College of Humanities and Education
- College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences National Training and Productivity Centre.
By 2019, student numbers at the University had grown to almost 27,000. While each of the colleges has its own campus, the University also has two out-reach campuses in Ba and Labasa, which offer a range of programmes from different colleges, supported by distance learning, to broaden access to higher education across the country. In addition, the National Training and Productivity Centre has a national network of smaller training campuses in Suva, Nadi and Lautoka.
The University is part of Australia's Academic and Research Network (AARNet), the company that provide internet services to the Australian education and research communities and their research partners. This has allowed the University to have superfast broadband, which is available to students 24/7 from anywhere on our campuses in partnership with DigitalFIJI. Books and journals have been replaced by digital collections and our libraries have been transformed into modern “social learning commons” where students can work alone or in groups, accessing a wealth of learning materials virtually.
The University has also invested heavily, with generous financial support from the Fiji Government, in upgrading its facilities and constructing new state-of-the-art buildings. To mark the 10th anniversary, Fiji National University will be opening a new “green field” campus in Labasa, a new gymnasium complex and a new four-storey business school at our Nasinu Campus and a new three-storey teaching building at Fiji Maritime Academy. In parallel, a major programme of renovations will see all the University's halls of residences and catering facilities upgraded by 2020.
History
Although it was formally established in 2010, Fiji National University has a long history of relevant education dating back to the origins of its component Colleges, through institutions that were established according to national needs and aspirations as these developed. In 2016, Fiji National University appointed Prof. Ilisoni Wainiqolo from Simla Lautoka as its Vice Chancellor.
Fiji School of Medicine
The College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences is located at a number of centres around Suva, including the new Pasifika Campus opposite the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.
The Fiji School of Medicine is now part of the FNU College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
The former Fiji School of Medicine was originally established in 1885 as the Suva Medical School to train vaccinators. The School now provides training in most health science disciplines including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, radiography, laboratory technology, public health, health services management, dietetics and environmental health.
Fiji School of Nursing
The former Fiji School of Nursing is one of the oldest nursing education institutions in the Pacific and has been in existence since 1893. Now part of the FNU College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, the School offers basic and post-basic nursing programmes for Fiji and regional students. Graduates are capable of working in general health services, maternal and child health care service, mental health service, and, in urban, rural and remote community health services.
The merger of the Fiji School of Medicine and the Fiji School of Nursing into the Fiji National University saw the creation of five schools under the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences: the School of Health Sciences; the School of Oral Health; the School of Medical Sciences; the School of Public Health and Primary Care and School of Nursing.
Fiji Institute of Technology
The former Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT) is now part of the FNU College of Engineering, Science and Technology and is the University's Samabula Campus. It was originally established in 1963 to train students in technical and vocational disciplines, to meet the engineering human resource needs of Fiji. The College provides education to cater for the total human resource needs of Fiji and the South Pacific in the areas of engineering, technology, including information technology and electronics, marine training and in the sciences.
The then FIT was also a starting point for the College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies, which is now also located in a number of different centres, including the new Nadi Campus in the heart of Fiji's tourism industry
The main administration centre of Fiji National University, including the hub of its extensive teacher training faculty, is located at what was once Fiji's prestigious Queen Victoria School (known as "Vuli-Ni-Tu"), established at Nasinu in 1907. In 1947, the school was relocated to Matavatucou, Tailevu Province, and the facilities were used to establish the Nasinu Teachers College, a primary teacher training institution. In 1982, it underwent some changes and re-opened as the Nasinu Residential College for students. In the 1990s, an Australian aid programme helped establish training for secondary teachers and in 1992 the Fiji College of Advanced Education opened at the Nasinu site.
Lautoka Teachers College
Meanwhile, the Lautoka Teachers College was established in 1978 as the country's largest pre-service provider of primary teachers and recently secondary school teachers also. This has become part of the University's College of Humanities and Education and is now the FNU Lautoka Campus with some of the proams also being offered in Suva, Nasinu Campus. The Humanities Department of this College, including its remarkable and widely known music section, is based on the Raiwai Campus (UniStudio) in Suva.
Fiji College of Agriculture
The Fiji College of Agriculture was established in 1954 to meet the human resource needs of the country in all areas of agriculture. That College was further developed into the University's College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on the Koronivia Campus. It places great emphasis on research in agriculture. It is now formally known as the College of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (CAFF).
Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji (TPAF)
The National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC), formerly known as the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji (TPAF) and the Fiji National Training Council, was established in 1973 by the Fiji National Training Act. It established the National Qualifications Framework to benchmark training and qualifications in technical and trade areas against a national standard, based on the needs of local industries, and iscomparable with overseas qualifications. TPAF became part of FNU in 2011 as the National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) to run the University's short courses in areas ranging from senior executive level management and leadership to innovative technical courses specifically designed for local conditions.
Colleges
The Fiji National University comprises 5 colleges spread throughout the country. The university has 15 libraries around Fiji.
The College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences contains the Fiji School of Medicine and the Fiji School of Nursing.
The College of Business, Hospitality & Tourism Studies has business degree programmes which are nationally accredited. The College's programmes are all vetted by the relevant Industry Advisory Committees before being approved by the University's Senate. Accreditation for some programmes such as Accounting is also provided by the professional body, the Fiji Institute of Accountants. Currently FNU has programmes in two streams, the Technical & Vocational Education Training Stream and the Higher Education Stream. With the aim to take education closer to the community, FNU programmes particularly in Accounting, Economics, Computing Science and others, are all offered via 5 campuses around Fiji including Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and Labasa. FNU is currently rolling out postgraduate programmes on a number of commerce subjects.
The College of Humanities & Education contains the School of Social Sciences, and the School Of Education. After the merger in 2010, the School of Education modified its teacher training curriculum. The main campus for teacher training is located in Lautoka with specific programs available in other parts of the country as well.
The College of Engineering, Science & Technology offers a variety of academic programmes of study, with the Samabula Campus hosting most of the programs.
The College of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry is connected to a number of other public and private national institutions with whom it collaborates in training, research and community service. Currently all CAFF programs are offered at the Koronivia Campus, in Koronivia, Nausori.
Controversies
Former Vice-Chancellor, Ganesh Chand was charged by Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for abuse of office in 2013.[1] In 2018, FICAC withdrew the case because it claimed that its main witness had moved abroad and could not be located,[2][3] a claim which is incorrect as the witness has a public profile (Poasa Koroitamana, who operates a business in the US with his contact details readily available on social media), and was contacted many times by FICAC but he refused to provide false evidence as FICAC wanted him to. Chand maintained that the prosecution was politically motivated by some Government Ministers who felt threatened by his defense of academic freedom and some senior staff who were threatened by internal audits implicating them in abuse of large sums of money.