Category: News & Events

The University of Fiji marked has marked the UN World Health Day with a symposium and health screening programme, highlighting key health challenges, preventive care, and the importance of equitable and holistic wellbeing.

The event, held at the Saweni Campus, brought together healthcare professionals, academics, and students to engage in meaningful discussions on pressing public health issues and the role of education in shaping healthier communities.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem emphasized the importance of maintaining active and healthy lifestyles while acknowledging the everyday challenges individuals face in doing so. She noted that while exercise and proper nutrition are essential, health must be understood within a broader social context.

“Mental and physical health are inseparable, as one impacts the other in more ways that most of us realise. More than lifestyle, we need to look at the problem of inequity in healthcare provision. People who are economically and socially disadvantaged are more likely to suffer from ill-health that comes from neglect, deficient resources and lack of easy access to preventative healthcare” she said.

Professor Shameem further highlighted the University’s commitment to healthcare through initiatives such as free medical services on campus for all staff and students, staff medical insurance, and partnerships for medical and nursing students with healthcare providers such as Aspen, PSH and Oceania Hospitals. She also underscored the growing role of technology, including telemedicine, in improving access to healthcare services.

Following the Vice-Chancellor’s address, Associate Professor at the Umanand Prasad School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dr Abhijit Gogoi, emphasized the importance of addressing both communicable and non-communicable diseases through education, awareness, and early intervention.

Dr Gogoi noted that the symposium highlighted critical health issues affecting Fiji and provided students with practical insights into current public health challenges.

He added that initiatives such as the health screening programme reinforce the importance of preventive healthcare and early detection, while also encouraging students to take an active role in promoting health within their communities.

Dr Gogoi reaffirmed the School’s commitment to producing healthcare professionals who are not only clinically competent, but also responsive to the evolving health needs of society.

As part of the World Health Day initiative, a health screening session was also conducted for staff and students, reinforcing the importance of early detection and preventive healthcare practices.

The symposium reflects the University of Fiji’s continued commitment to promoting health awareness, supporting national and global health priorities, and equipping students with the knowledge and responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the healthcare sector.

The University of Fiji is calling for stronger commitment on the part of the State to eliminate racial discrimination, especially against minority cultural and linguistic communities, to promote inclusion in Fiji as it marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March.

The day commemorates the victims of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa, where peaceful protesters lost their lives while standing against apartheid laws. The date remains a global reminder of the urgent need to confront racism in all its forms and to uphold equality and human dignity worldwide.

Highlighting Fiji’s unique multicultural identity, the University noted that the nation’s strength lies in its diversity, with people of different cultures, faiths and ethnic backgrounds living and working together. This diversity continues to shape Fiji’s social fabric and national identity and is upheld by the University in its policy framework.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shaista Shameem, emphasized the critical role of young people in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future.

“We need to set an example for young people so that they do not repeat or re-hash the prejudices of the past. The upcoming Education Bill is focused on the need to promote harmony in the educational curriculum in Fiji, and this is a good illustration of how the law can play its part in fostering the right of everyone to be free from racial discrimination.”

 

Professor Shameem said that racial discrimination was an objectionable prejudice, appearing in law and policy, and quite often masqueraded as an attitude that was natural or inevitable in the human condition. “However, prejudice, which may well be a human flaw, when translated by the State into policy or law, is racial discrimination and prohibited under international human rights conventions which Fiji has ratified” she said.

 

The University said Fiji’s constitutional protections, past and present, prohibited racial discrimination; and it was also a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). Fiji was bound to report regularly to the ICERD Committee.

In his message marking the day, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that racism continues to persist globally, driven by historical injustices and modern challenges such as hate speech and discrimination. He called for unity and coordinated action by governments, institutions and communities to uphold human rights and dignity for all.

The University of Fiji reaffirmed its commitment to fostering inclusive campuses and communities grounded in equality, respect and mutual understanding.

The University of Fiji has called for a comprehensive amendment of Fiji’s telecommunications legislation to reflect 21^st century realities in information dissemination and communications. The submissions were made to the Minister for Policing and Communications following extensive legal review of the Telecommunications Act 2008.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaista Shameem said the UniFiji review presents an important opportunity for Fiji to adopt a forward-looking telecommunications framework that strengthens regulatory governance while protecting the rights and interests of telecommunications users.

“Telecommunications systems are now central to the exercise of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, expression and access to information as guaranteed under the Constitution of Fiji. The legal framework governing telecommunications must therefore evolve alongside technological change to ensure these rights are protected while promoting innovation and economic development,” she said.

The UniFiji submissions highlighted the need to strengthen consumer protection, digital governance, and cybersecurity frameworks in the country to uphold the right of freedom of speech with certain limitations.

The review, conducted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor’s Legal Unit, examines how Fiji’s current telecommunications framework can be updated to reflect the realities of the modern digital

environment and is located in the Fijian Constitution as well as international telecommunication standards that Fiji is signatory to.

Section 17 of the Constitution of Fiji protects freedom of publication under the general right to freedom of speech and expression.

The submissions state that the global telecommunications landscape has undergone significant transformation in the 21^st century due to rapid technological advancement, widespread broadband expansion, and the emergence of internet-based communications platforms. Hence, telecommunications networks now play a fundamental role in enabling social, economic, and democratic participation by allowing individuals to communicate, access information, conduct business, and engage in public discourse as is their constitutional right.

Constitutional section 150 Freedom of Information is also a constitutional safeguard, the submissions say as it binds public offices of the state.

The University’s review says that existing legislation relies too much on traditional telecommunications concepts such as voice calls and SMS transmission and does not sufficiently capture modern digital communication technologies, including internet-based messaging platforms, cloud infrastructure, digital platforms, and emerging technologies such as 5G networks and satellite connectivity.

The review also highlights growing concerns regarding unsolicited promotional messages sent to mobile phone users, raising questions about consumer consent and the use of personal data in telecommunications marketing.

“Consumers should be asked for their consent before such relentless bombardment of commercial messages is sent alongside news and information; automatic consent should not be assumed”, Professor Shameem said.

The University’s recommendations propose strengthening consumer protection safeguards, improving data governance standards, and introducing clearer regulatory mechanisms to address emerging telecommunications challenges such as cybersecurity threats, digital platform services, and the expansion of broadband connectivity.

The report further recommends that Fiji align its telecommunications regulatory framework with international standards and best practices promoted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to enhance regulatory transparency, promote innovation, and strengthen Fiji’s competitiveness in the global digital economy. Fiji is a signatory to the ITU.

In addition, the review calls for greater emphasis on universal digital access, including improved broadband connectivity in rural and underserved communities, as part of Fiji’s broader digital transformation and economic development agenda.

The University states that modernizing telecommunications legislation will help ensure that Fiji’s communications infrastructure remains resilient, inclusive, and capable of supporting the country’s rapidly evolving digital society.

The review was conducted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor’s Legal Team: Manager Legal Office, Alishah Ali, Legal Officer, Natalie Raikadroka, and Legal and Research Assistant, Alsheik Ashad Ali.

The University of Fiji says that major and radical attitudes towards the numeracy crisis in Fiji are needed if the situation is to improve substantially.

Responding to the latest statistics revealed by Education Minister Hon. Aseri Radrodro which shows that the Year 5 literacy rate was 95% while the numeracy rate lagged behind at 74%. Moreover, over 80% of Fiji’s schools recorded below expected levels in mathematics performance at Year 4.

The University of Fiji Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaista Shameem, says that maths must be taught well because it builds lifelong, innovative and critical thinking. “In addition, it is a vital subject for explaining not only how our own planet functions but the entire solar system and beyond”. She believes that there is no time to waste in finding adequate learning and teaching strategies to cope with Fiji’s numeracy deficit in schools.

To assist with the National Numeracy Strategy of the Ministry of Education, the University of Fiji will submit a strategy document to assist with the Ministry’s numeracy education reform.

Ms Ayesha Reddy, an academic from the School of Science and Technology and Maths Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor, has developed a resource module as part of the recommendations for the Ministry. Noting the mathematical proficiency gap at Year 4 and 5, Ms Reddy suggests introducing a compulsory Multiplication Verification Assessment (MVA) in Year 5. This diagnostic assessment will help gauge the multiplication table competency held by students and explore intervention and scaffolding methods for students who are facing difficulties. The MVA will not act as a summative assessment so no marks will contribute towards the final examination.

Ms Reddy recommends that the strands and topics in Year 8 and Year 9 mathematics be scrutinized by the Curriculum Development Unit to ensure a smooth and realistic transition while progressing from primary school into secondary school, for example Algebra and Calculus that dominate upper secondary mathematics and are crucial for studying maths at tertiary level.

UniFiji also proposes a 60/40% teaching model for lower primary mathematics classes so that 60% of delivery is teacher-led while 40% is self-directed and heutagogical inquiry-based learning. This proportion is recommended as the majority of students do not develop entire abstract thinking, reasoning or problem-solving skills by the age of 12 years. The importance of teacher-led instructions is therefore as necessary for primary school mathematics as inquiry-based learning is for secondary school mathematics. The University has made other recommendations to assist with mitigating the numeracy crisis and will forward these to the Ministry.