The Standing Committee on Social Affairs and the FNU team at the public hearing.
The Standing Committee on Social Affairs of the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji held a Public Hearing on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, to hear from the Fiji National University on its Annual Reports for 2022, 2023 and 2024.
FNU was represented by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching, Professor Jimaima Lako; the Pro Vice-Chancellor Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Pasifika & National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC), Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata; the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Nilesh Prasad, Acting Director Planning and Development, Rajendra Prasad, and Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor Corporate Services, Dr Joseph Veramu.
FNU’s Annual Reports for 2022 to 2024 are predicated on the Strategic Plan on the theme: “Education for Wisdom and Sustainability: Shaping Fiji’s Future.” Our work is predicated on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for which FNU was highly ranked through the Times Higher Education Global Ranking. FNU’s Plans are guided by the pillars of the National Development Plan (2025 – 2029) and VISION 2050. These plans support economic resilience, people empowerment and good governance. FNU’s mandate is to support the Government to improve social well-being and bring greater prosperity to the nation. Students and the people of Fiji are at the centre of FNU’s Research, Learning and Teaching and Community Engagement.
FNU’s Strategic and Annual Plans support the vision of empowering the people of Fiji through unity. This vision is translated through three pillars, namely:
FNU’s achievements under the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are linked to the 5 Strategic Priority Areas. (These are reported in the Annual Reports.) These include gender mainstreaming for the advancement of women, community empowerment, addressing climate change, upholding moral and ethical values, good governance and the commitment to achieving holistic and balanced development.
FNU works proactively to respond effectively to development challenges. These challenges include poverty alleviation, climate change issues, the lack of equity in access, and ensuring that people can enjoy peace and prosperity in the context of their traditional knowledge, digital development, wisdom, and spirituality. FNU’s Strategic Priority Areas (documented in the Annual Reports) ensures that we achieve measurable KPIs on an annual basis.
FNU’s outcomes include creating synergies through inclusion to ensure the University Community is guided by our spiritual and Ocean heritage to achieve our goals. We have adopted a culture of educational excellence and work to enhance students’ learning experiences. We regularly review and optimise our operating models utilising data, analytics and prudent financial management. We will improve our pedagogy and strengthen holistic values to ensure that our graduates’ skill sets and competencies can be utilised in local and international workplaces
The Parliamentary Committee asked questions on FNU’s Finances, Levy, and Capital Projects, especially on Naiyaca Campus, Learning and Teaching, Students Data, Research and FNU’s role in National Development.