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(Last updated: 13 Feb 2012)
Trends and opportunities
The market
Fiji is the regional education hub for many of the South Pacific islands. The University of the South Pacific, the Fiji National University, the University of Fiji and the Australia Pacific Technical College are good examples of institutes providing education solutions for Pacific students.
The education framework in Fiji consists of pre-school, primary, secondary and higher education. There is compulsory education from primary to completion of secondary level or up to Year 12. Schools from pre-school to secondary are mostly managed by the government, religious bodies (Catholic, Methodist, Sabha or Muslim) or local provinces. Presently there are 52 secondary schools throughout Fiji that operate up to the Australian equivalent of Year 12 of which 49 offer up to Year 13 (or the equivalent of Foundation Year for university).
There are also two main private schools – Yat Sen Primary and Secondary School, which caters primarily for the Chinese community, and the International School of Suva and Nadi, which caters primarily for the expatriate population and delivers a curriculum closely aligned with Australia/New Zealand.
Some vocational training is delivered during secondary level (Year 9 – Year 12) to equip students before entering higher education. These courses include carpentry, metalwork, woodwork, home economics, agricultural science and engineering science/industrial technology.
Higher education is offered at technical institutes and is structured around two-year Diploma programs. There are also the professional degrees, which are typically four or five year programs depending on the disciplines.
A number of important changes in the education sector took place in 2011 after the interim Fiji Government announced substantial changes from 2009 and 2010, which includes:
- The merger of the six separate government funded institutes into what is now called the Fiji National University. This saw the merger of the following institutes:
- Fiji School of Medicine
- Fiji School of Nursing
- Fiji School of Agriculture
- Fiji Institute of Technology
- Fiji College of Advanced Education
- Lautoka Teachers College
- Training & Productivity Authority of Fiji
- The up-skilling of higher education teachers. This came about as a result of the compulsory retirement laws of 2009 making it mandatory for civil servants to retire at the age of 55. Senior civil servants who were school teachers and principals were significantly impacted on and this creates significant skills gaps.
- The formation of the Higher Education Commission and the Fiji National Qualification Framework provides a platform to benchmark all vocational and tertiary institutes in Fiji and requires registration and recognition of their program offerings prior to student recruitment.
- De-racialisation of the education sector with institutes required to change their name if it was deemed discriminatory. This also applies to government scholarships previously allocated along racial lines.
- The formation of the National Employment Centre (NEC) to cater for compulsory training and work of Fiji National University students and the unemployed.
There are three universities in Fiji:
- The University of the South Pacific (USP) based in Suva owned jointly by the Pacific Country Forum members with campuses around Fiji and throughout the Pacific.
- The University of Fiji established in 2004 and based in Lautoka opened a campus in Suva in late 2009.
- In January 2010 the Fiji National University (FNU) was established through the merger of six previously separate institutes.
The Australia-Pacific Technical College has set up in Nadi and Suva. It is an Australian Government initiative to provide training opportunities in the Pacific region in automotive, manufacturing, construction and electrical, tourism and hospitality.
A number of international universities have their programs offered through the local institutes. The University of Newcastle, TAFE Western Sydney, Deakin University and James Cook University work with the Fiji National University.
The University of Wollongong and the University of Notre Dame Australia are currently working with the University of Fiji to improve their MBBS program offer. Australian National University engages with the University of the South Pacific School of Economics in bringing together research outputs on various aspects of Fiji’s economy in an attempt to assist policy makers make informed policy decisions.
The changes taking place in the education sector are bringing in new trends which include:
- Annual registration of all teachers as required by the Ministry of Education.
- Up-skilling of vocational teachers requiring them to have a Diploma or Degree in Education
- Registration and recognition of all tertiary and vocational institutes by the Higher Education Commission to operate. The registration and recognition process of all institutes has reduced the number of operating institutes from 75 to 60 as at June 2011. The remaining 15 institutes have been registered but not recognised and are to work on their other requirements before full recognition will be granted.
- The increasing demand for scholarships at tertiary level after the Fiji National Provident Fund, the nation’s superannuation body became more stringent with education withdrawal for overseas studies.
Opportunities
There are opportunities in Fiji to form institutional linkages with Australian institutes to offer courses in demand locally, such as specialist work based skills like warehousing, merchandising, butcher training, procurement, tourism, forestry and agriculture, middle management training, mining etc.
There are also opportunities to work with local institutes in offering short term programs in IT and Business/Commerce programs for mature students after hours.
Also in demand are middle management courses such as performance management, business planning/strategy and succession planning, etc. There are a handful of local providers that offer this type of training on a short-term basis both in-house and on campus.
There is also interest from graduating secondary students and mature age employees in travelling overseas to complete or continue their studies. Most applicants are heading to New Zealand to study; however, there are Australian tertiary providers as well. Student decisions are based on competitive prices offered and ease of access.
Finally, there are also opportunities to tap into the scholarship programs offered by AusAID, I Taukei and Public Service Commission, on programs which are seen to support future growth sectors by the government.
Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships are given by Fiji Government for studies within Fiji and overseas. Study programs are geared to Fiji’s future requirements which include training in:
- Health
- Mining (metallurgic engineering, geology, mining engineering)
- Occupational hygiene
- Occupational medicine
- Economics and finance (Masters in development economics and international trade, labour economics)
- Human resources management
- Manufacturing/Construction/Infrastructure (Certificate of Advanced Diploma for electrical fitter, mechanic, plumbing, electrical engineering, carpentry, joinery)
- Agriculture/Environment (land and water resources, environmental management, integrated water resource management)
- Veterinary science
- Engineering
- Disability studies
- Special and inclusive education
- Education (MA in assessment and monitoring evaluation, teachers for automotive engineering, welding and fabrication, building and construction, hospitality and catering)
- Welfare (women and development)
- Tourism (baking and patisserie)
- Shipping and marine (marine engineering, marine captain)
AusAID also provide some 40 scholarships from 2013 with similar study programs to Fiji Government.
Japan, India, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Cuba and Morocco also offer limited number of scholarships.
A number of trusts and corporates provide scholarship for studying in a local university eg. Bailey Trust, Fijian Holdings Trust.
Competitive environment
Australia’s main competition comes from New Zealand, Malaysia, India, Japan and USA.
The quality of Australian graduates and the environment it offers for studying remains an advantage Australia holds over the other countries.
Australia’s close proximity to Fiji is an attractive feature with its learning environment and systems that are seen to deliver both quality teaching and support to students.
With its diverse and multicultural background, Australia is perceived as an attractive and safe destination where one can complete their education with less hassle and bring up a young family with a solid supporting system.
On a less positive note, obtaining a student visa and the full cost for completing a program for private full fee paying student in Australia is viewed negatively.
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