Professor Toby Wilkinson.

This statement is issued jointly by the Fiji National University (FNU) and the Fiji National University Students’ Association (FNUSA) following a report published in today’s The Fiji Times with the title ‘NFP wants explanation’.

At the outset, we would like to state that the newspaper article is factually incorrect and misleading. The article claims that students at the FNU Natabua Campus in Lautoka have been ‘stranded’ and ‘were not provided with food’.

The Fiji National University (FNU) has been providing food and other essential supplies to all students staying in hostel accommodation since the lockdown and containment announcement by the Fijian Government.

The University has a complete list of all students residing in its hostels and is in regular communication with them through staff on the ground and through the FNU Students’ Association (the representative body of all students at the University). By means of this coordinated approach, the University is able to provide essential services to students.

Ketan Lal.

The University has been maintaining regular communication with students, through emails and social media, on all issues, including access to food and essential supplies. FNU provided free food to all students during the lockdown period. All students in hostel accommodation who are unable, within government guidelines, to access essential supplies (for example, because they are being required to self-isolate), will continue to be looked after by the University.

All students in hostel accommodation who are able, within government guidelines, to access food and other essential services within the community, are expected to do so, in common with other citizens. With the resumption of bus services and the re-opening of shops in Lautoka, the automatic provision of meals to students in the Natabua hostels ceased after Tuesday 18 May. However, for students who may be facing financial difficulties and cannot purchase food and other essential items, the University continues to cater for their needs.

FNU has a duty of care to all its students and has prioritised student support during the pandemic to ensure that students are well taken care of and remain safe.

Furthermore, the FNU Students’ Association has also provided food to students in hostels during the lockdown.

In these unprecedented and very challenging times, publishing inaccurate information about the health and well-being of our students only increases anxiety for our students and their families and is a distraction to FNU.

Thank you.

Authorised by:

Professor Toby Wilkinson
Vice-Chancellor
Fiji National University

Ketan Lal
President
FNUSA