Area	total: 18,274 sq km (7,056 sq mi) land: 18,274 sq km water: 0 sq km
Capital	Suva (on Viti Levu)
Largest city (2009)	Suva (194,400)
Other large cities	Nasinu 88,000 and Lami 20,500), Lautoka (54,400), Nausori (52,500), Nadi (45,500) and Ba (16,000) on Viti Levu; and Labasa (28,100) on Vanua Levu.
Climate	Tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation. Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Time Difference	UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins fourth Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March.

 

Government type	republic
Head of State	The Head of State: Ratu Josefa Iloilo. (self-proclaimed 2009)
Independence	10 October 1970 (from the UK)
Constitution	enacted on 25 July 1997; effective on 28 July 1998; Abrogated in 2009 by new self-proclaimed Head of State. Note - it encouraged multiculturalism and makes multiparty government mandatory. Currently in transition.
Legal system	based on British system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal
Administrative divisions	4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western

 

Telephones - main lines in use (2009)	136,800
Telephones - mobile cellular (2009)	640,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (2009)	75.36
Broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants (2009)	Fixed 2.47 Mobile 0.83
Telephone system (2009)	general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications centre domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone exchanges and direct dialling; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 80 per 100 persons access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean)
International dialling code	+679
Internet domain	.fj
Internet hosts (2010)	17,088
Internet users (2008)	103,000
Internet users per 100 inhabitants (2009)	13.45
Computers per 100 inhabitants (2009)	21.08
TV sets per 100 people	N/A

With a history that extends over 3500 years, the Fijian way of life prior to European contact in the 17^th and 18^th centuries was bloodthirsty, with frequent tribal wars and endemic cannibalism. European contact led to the advent of firearms in tribal conflict with ensuing greater instability. The British, who had pioneered developments in agricultural practices in the 19^th century and promoted economic development in the Fiji Islands, brokered a solution where Fiji became a British Colony in 1874.

The British imported indentured labour from India to work the sugar plantations, but disallowed them from owning the land they farmed. The Indian group grew over ensuing years to the point where numerically they outnumbered the ethnic Fijian population by the 1940s. They grew most of the agricultural product, but owned almost none of the land. In 1970, The Dominion of Fiji (Now Republic of Fiji) declared itself an independent nation and was accepted into the Commonwealth of Nations.

Fiji currently exists within a state of great instability. There has been continual tension between the Ethnic-Fijian population and the Indo-Fijian population over land ownership, political power and economic power since European influence. Mixing between the communities is very limited, each group tending to stay separate from the other in many areas of Fijian society. Since 1987, there has been a cycle of coups where political groups have used their influence with the Ethnic-Fijian dominated military to block legislation, abrogate the constitution, form caretaker governments and appoint Prime Ministers and Presidents of their own choosing. Indo-Fijians have left Fiji in large numbers due to personal safety and economic disadvantage concerns on such a scale that Ethnic Fijians now are the majority racial group. This has lead to a near collapse of the region’s economy, lower school attendance rates and disruption to education generally, and consequently, lower adult literacy rates.

A warring and cannibalistic society until the 1700s, Fiji largely adopted Christianity in its many forms in the 1800s and beyond. This conversion led to what Fijians popularly call the previous period as ‘The Time of the Devil’. The majority of the Indo-Fijian community continued to adhere to their Hindu beliefs so that the societal divide results from a combination of racial, religious, and economic factors.

While at the time of independence in 1970, the legislature was based on the Westminster System, there have been so many changes that currently it could be viewed as in a state of transition and instability. Frequent proclamation of executive powers by individual power brokers, suspension of the constitution and the general undermining of any popularly elected government make it difficult to define the system of government other than by the exercise of military might. The path that the nation of Fiji has embarked upon appears set for further disruption before peace, stability, reconciliation and economic prosperity can be attained.

Fiji is officially bilingual with both English and Fijian spoken. Hindustani is also widely spoken among the Indo-Fijian community.

Education in Fiji is centrally administered by the Ministry of Education. Through this arm of government, administration, policy and delivery of educational services is managed and provided. Curriculum frameworks and policy guidelines and directions are centrally developed. The Ministry also provides for qualified teaching personnel to support all schools in the delivery of quality education for students. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that this system is very stretched, with the extremely low wages paid to teachers in outlying areas failing to attract and hold suitably qualified personnel.

The education system in Fiji is based upon a 6-4-3 model. Current literature provides conflicting evidence on the compulsory/non-compulsory attendance of students in the Primary years (1-6), possibly reflecting the current state of political unrest. While primary education is officially proclaimed to be free, fees and costs are reported to be preventing some students from attending. Further, conflicting evidence on adult literacy rates also exists placing it within the range of 93-99%. A reasonable conclusion could be made that access to and the provision of education has also been disrupted due to the political factors currently being experienced in Fiji.

a)    School education

Pre-Primary Level

Pre-Primary education is offered in Fiji but does not appear to be funded by government.

Primary Level

The first six years of formal education is within a primary school model covering grades 1-6. Conflicting evidence exists upon which years are compulsory, but statistics show that almost all students were completing their primary education prior to the coup cycle. Later evidence suggests that the percentage of students completing Primary education is diminishing due to security concerns and the cost of fees and transport.

Secondary Level

The following four years (forms 1-4) are within Secondary school and theoretically compulsory. Attendance rates are reported to be falling due to the same reasons as for attendance at Primary school. A further three years are optional (Forms 5,6 & 7) for those students wishing to pursue tertiary studies or vocational/technical programs.

Non-Government Schools

There are a range of private education providers at both Primary and Secondary levels who operate under Government supervision.

b)    Vocational education and training (VET)

There are approximately 50 further education institutions operating in Fiji.

Recently established in Nadi is the Australia-Pacific Technical College, an Australian government initiative to provide training opportunities in the Pacific region in automotive, manufacturing, construction and electrical, tourism and hospitality.

The University of Southern Queensland has a local presence offering distance learning courses with a joint venture partner. The Institute of Technology Australia (IOTA) has a local campus in Suva.

FIT offers through the University of Newcastle an in-country TVET teacher education at degree level. The program is developed to upgrade knowledge, skills and qualification of teachers and trainers in the teaching of technical and vocational education in secondary schools. TPAF offers through TAFE Western Sydney and University of Sunshine Coast programs on IT, Commerce and Hospitality.

c)     Higher education

Pre-Tertiary and Tertiary Education

Other countries, such as Australia, make a substantial contribution to the direct and indirect funding of tertiary and further technical education in Fiji. This has been in the form of direct funding, regular visiting by specialists for the purpose of training others and research, provision of scholarships for Fijian students and joint ventures. The University of Southern Queensland operates campuses in Suva and Nadi.

In January 2010, six separate government-owned institutions/departments were amalgamated into the Fiji National University. Originally, these were: Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT), Fiji School of Medicine, Fiji College of Advanced Education, Fiji College of Agriculture, Lautoka Teachers College, and Fiji School of Nursing. The University comprises five colleges: 1. Humanities and Education, 2. Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, 3. Engineering, Science and Technology, 4. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 5. Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism Studies. Prior to amalgamation, FIT had over 20,000 students enrolled in over 120 courses over 4 campuses. It had developed three separate research foci through: The Centre for Applied Economic Research, The Centre for Sustainable Technology and Development, and The Centre for Drama and Creative Arts.

A third university, The University of the South Pacific also operates in Fiji and has its main campus in Suva. It is financed by 12 other countries in the region. Student numbers are approximately 2,500 full-time on-campus and around 5000 studying by off-campus/extension modes based in various local centres in neighbouring countries.

Overview of Distance Education

The establishment of the University of the South Pacific (USP) represents the effective beginning of distance education in Fiji. In the late 1960s, almost all distance learners in Fiji were students enrolled in correspondence courses provided by New Zealand institutions, such as Massey University. The situation changed with the launch of the first USP extension programs in 1971. From an original 6 courses and 150 students, USP’s Distance & Flexible Learning (DFL) operations have grown enormously. In 2008, the USP offered almost 500 courses and had 19,146 students studying across the Pacific.

In recent years, the Fijian Government has initiated a number of pilot projects to provide blended and distance education programs to school aged children in rural and remote parts of the country (see below).

The Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT), now part of the Fiji National University (FNU) had a Distance Learning Unit that specialised in the delivery of outreach programs addressing the needs of adults and out-of-school youths. It is unknown whether this unit is still operating.

The University of the South Pacific (USP) is the major provider of distance learning programs in Fiji and in twelve other Pacific nations: Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. There are two USP Distance & Flexible Learning Centres in Fiji: USP Lautoka Campus and the Fiji Centre Northern in Labasa. These Centres support distance learners across Fiji and the Pacific. The USP offers Distance & Flexible Learning courses in a wide range of subjects and at different levels from certificate-level programs to postgraduate qualifications.

Printed based materials form the primary method of distance delivery. These are supplemented by a range of different media: audio/video tapes, CD-ROMs and DVDs, satellite-based videoconferencing and audioconferencing, and e-learning using the Moodle platform. The USP’s goal is to move eventually to fully online delivery.

Administration and finance

The Ministry of Education is responsible for the administration and management of education policy and delivery of educational services. It provides the curriculum frameworks, policy guidelines and directions, as well as qualified teaching personnel that support all schools in the delivery of quality education for students. The Ministry must also ensure that standards in education are met and maintained and the human, physical and the financial resources allocated to education by the government are appropriately directed and expended.

The Ministry has responsibility for:

• provision of services to the Minister, Statutory Agencies, Cabinet and Government
• management of resource planning and policy development related to education and training
• provision of programme support to education and training institutions
• regulation and recognition of education and training providers and accreditation of programme delivery
• accounting for the resources allocated by government to the Fiji Islands education system.

Little is known of the financial provisions for education subsequent to the political coups discussed above. The Training & Productivity Authority of Fiji (TPAF ) is also the administrative body for a mandatory local employer contribution per employee that goes to subsiding the cost of vocational training in Fiji. Vocational providers approach TPAF for ‘grant claimable’ approval, which allows the course provider to offer grants/subsidised training to companies whose employees participate on approved courses (up to 100 per cent reimbursement of course costs).

Higher Education Reforms

Prior to 2007, the Government of Fiji took a largely “hands off” approach to governance in higher education. This situation has been transformed by a number of recent initiatives, including the establishment of the Higher Education Commission, the Fiji National Research Council (FNRC) and the Fiji Qualifications Framework. The Government of Fiji has repeatedly indicated its concern with the quality of tertiary education in Fiji. In addition, the establishment of the FNRC in 2008 indicates a growing awareness at the Government level of the importance of research policy in national development.

Future Direction of Tertiary Education

The formation of the Fiji National University in 2010 represented a major change in the higher education sector. The FNU incorporates six previously independent tertiary providers: the Fiji Institute of Technology, Fiji College of Advanced Education, Lautoka Teachers College, Fiji School of Medicine and Fiji College of Agriculture. The new institution will retain a TVET focus, although it is likely to expand its range outside this area in the near future. The expectation is that the new institution will provide a major focus for the government efforts to expand the provision of tertiary education in Fiji.

Information and Communications Technology Initiatives

Fiji’s telecommunications infrastructure is better than that of many other Pacific nations, although still poor by world standards. The Southern Cross underwater cable links the island of Viti Levu to New Zealand, Australia and the United States. However, there is lack of competition in the fixed-line sector due to the Telecom Fiji monopoly. This is one factor which has retarded the development of Fiji’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Internet penetration in Fiji is low, despite rapid improvement in recent years. In 2010, internet penetration was 12%, up from only 1.7% in 2007. Partial deregulation of the telecommunications market after 2007 has resulted in a rapid increase of mobile phone penetration. Despite these promising signs, the future development of Fijian telecommunications is uncertain, largely as a result of political factors. For this reason, there are limited opportunities for e-learning in the Fijian education sector.

a)    Information society strategy

In recognition of the impact of ICTs on higher education in general, including its impact on modes of delivery, teaching and learning methods and institutional structures, the Higher Education Commission is committed to the development of an academic broadband facility for use by higher education institutions. To aid in the delivery of its services, the Commission maintains a website of information and an interactive database. All documents for the Commission’s operation including legislations, policies, procedures and forms can be accessed from the website.

b)    Major e-learning initiatives

Fiji is a member of the OLPC initiative. In 2009, the Fijian Government announced plans to distribute 70,000 OLPC XO laptops in its schools, commencing with a proposed roll-out to 2000 children in 2010.

c)     Benchmarking e-learning

None identified.

d)    Support for OER

Fiji is a participant in the Commonwealth of Learning’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) project. VUSSC is actively engaged in the development of OER materials for use among member states.

e)    Government entities

Ministry of Education (MoE)

Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Education Assessment (SPBEA) (quality assurance)

f)      Associations and networks

Pacific Archive of Digital Data for Learning and Education (PADDLE)

Pacific Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project (PATVET)

Pacific Islands Regional Association for Distance Education (PIRADE)
Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of basic Education (PRIDE)

g)    Distance Education journals

On Pirade: Newsletter of the Pacific Islands Regional Association for Distance Education

Interesting Distance Education Initiatives

In 2009, the Government of Fiji launched a project is to provide satellite-based distance learning for children at rural and remote schools in Fiji. The pilot involved three schools on Viti Levu. As part of the project, a Studio Centre was established at the Nasinu Campus of the Fiji National University and hardware and software installed at the schools. By mid-2010, the project had been extended to a total of seven schools on the island. Students at these schools receive course in Chemistry, Biology, English, Geography, Agriculture, Economics and Fijian by satellite. Instruction in four schools is up to Form 7. Students at three other schools are provided with instruction up to Form 6. The intention is to extend the satellite network to schools in the Southern Lau Group as soon as possible.

The Department of Public Health at the Fiji National University offers a number of DFL courses. These courses are open to learners in Fiji and across the Pacific. Qualifications available through the Department are:

Certificate in Public Health

Diploma in Public Health

Bachelor in Public Health

Bachelor in Environmental Health

Diploma in Physiotherapy

Bachelor in Pharmacy

Bachelor in Medical Laboratory Science

Bachelor in Medical Imaging Science

Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health

Postgraduate Diploma in Health Service Management

Master in Public Health.

The FNU Department of Health Sciences also provides a small number of courses for distance learners. These include a diploma-level course in Physiotherapy and bachelor degree programs in Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Imaging Science.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has overall responsibility for the regulation and recognition of education in Fiji.

In early 2008, a seven-member Higher Education Advisory Board, chaired by Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, was appointed by the Minister for Education to develop a legislative framework and provide policy advice to the Minister in the development of the sector. The resulting Higher Education Bill was promulgated in October 2008 giving rise to the Higher Education Promulgation 2008. Since the promulgation, the Board has developed regulations and policies to enable the implementation of the legislation once it commences. The regulations include the Higher Education Regulations 2009 and the Higher Education (Qualifications) Regulations 2009.

The regulation of TVET delivery in Fiji is the task of the Fiji Qualifications Council (FQC). The primary role of the Council is to administer the Fiji National Qualifications Framework (FNQF). The Council is in the process of accrediting TVET providers and their programs to ensure adherence to acceptable standards of teaching and assessment. After accreditation, providers will be re-evaluated every 5 years to ensure continued adherence to FNQF standards.

The regulation of higher education in Fiji is the specific responsibility of the Higher Education Commission. The Commission began the task of accrediting award-conferring, post-secondary education providers in 2010. In that year, higher education institutions in Fiji were given temporary permission to operate pending formal accreditation. From 31 October 2011, all award-conferring institutions will require formal accreditation by the Commission to continue their operations. After accreditation, providers will be reviewed every five years to ensure continued compliance with the terms of accreditation.

a)    International regulatory and policy frameworks

Both the USP and the Higher Education Commission are members of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN). The USP is also a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

Education for All (EFA)

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

United Nations Literacy Decade

UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Education

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)

b)    Regional agreements

Fiji is a member of the multi-nation USP consortium.

USP Strategic Plan 2010-2012

Pacific Islands Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP)

Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) Project

Pacific Education for Sustainable Development Framework

Pacific Education Development Framework (PEDF) 2009-2015

The Pacific Plan (the Pacific Plan Task Force is managed by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General)

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC)

c)     National regulations and policy

Education Act [Cap 262]
Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji Act [Cap 93]
University of the South Pacific Act [Cap 266]
Higher Education Promulgation (2008)

Education sector strategic development plan 2009–2011 (2009)

Policy in technical, vocational, enterprise education and training (tvet) (2007)

Skills Training For Employment policy (STFE) (2006)

d)    State/District regulations and policy

Not applicable.

e)    University policies

There are currently three universities in Fiji: the USP, the FNU and the smaller, private University of Fiji. Each is a very different institution. The USP is over forty years old. The University of Fiji was established in 2004 and the FNU only in 2010. Each of these institutions has a different situation in relation to governance issues such as quality assurance.

The USP has a longer history of dealing with quality assurance issues. It has its own formal Quality Strategy and Quality Assurance Framework. The USP has also benefited from its ties with international quality assurance agencies, including the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) and the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit (NZUAAU). Neither the FNU nor the University of Fiji have these advantages. In fairness to both institutions, however, the FNU is less than a year old and the University of Fiji is a much smaller institution with extremely limited resources.  Both institutions are likely to place increasing emphasis on quality assurance in the future.

The Higher Education Commission (http://www.fhec.gov.fj/policies/) prescribes the procedures and guidelines for assessing applications for recognition by higher education institutions. A recognition certificate is issued under part 8 of the Regulations. The process of assessing applications for recognition is conducted by a Recognition Committee appointed by the Higher Education Commission.