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.
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.