Mr. Kamlesh Arya
Kamlesh Arya – born in 1952 to a farming parents living in a small sugarcane settlement of Nasoni, on the second largest island of Vanua Levu in the Fijian archipelago. Being the second child of the parents, Kamlesh Arya was suddenly destined to be the eldest in the family due to the tragic loss of the first child when a sago plant, the mother was cutting fell directly on his two year old eldest brother.
Being a child in the extended family of forty-three people all living communally, growing up in the settlement had huge challenges, virtually living in a poverty-stricken environment.
Conscious of the need to educate for better life, Kamlesh Arya was assigned to maternal grandparents to attend primary school. This was done to avoid the young boy from crossing the Korotari River to and from school. At the primary school Kamlesh Arya did well and passed his eighth year examination with an excellent outcome and was selected to attend government secondary school – Labasa Secondary school(now Labasa College).
During his primary school days Kamlesh Arya was fascinated with the teaching skills of his teachers and resolved to become a teacher, which he successfully attained, after completing his secondary education.
Given several opportunities, he chose to get admission at Nasinu Teachers College and graduated as a primary school teacher in 1973.
His teaching career as a teacher expanded into teaching children hearing impairment and was awarded Australian Scholarship in 1979 to undertake a graduate diploma in special education at Burwood State College, Melbourne.
Having strong compassion towards teaching and education he pursued a Bachelors Degree in Education and Administration as part-time student at the University of South Pacific.
Having taught for twenty years Kamlesh Arya ventured into trade unionism by taking an appointment in 1993 at Fiji Teachers Union as its Industrial Relations Officer. In the unexpected run of things Kamlesh Arya entered Fiji’s politics in 2001 by winning the Laucala Indian Communal seat with a resounding victory on Fiji Labour Party ticket. He did not seek re-election in 2006.
In 2008 at the invitation of the President of Fiji, he joined National Council for Building a Better Fiji, the end result being the People’s Charter. In August of the same year he was appointed as Fiji’s High Commissioner (acting) to Australia. Due to diplomatic turn of events he was recalled to Fiji in 2009.
He continued with his social work and in December 2012 he was appointed the Registrar of The University of Fiji, the position he held until December 2018.
In its December 2019 meeting the The University of Fiji Council appointed Kamlesh Arya as Pro-Chancellor of the University that became tenable from 1 January 2020. By virtue of this appointment, he is also the Chair of the Council.
A Thought for University Education (Reflections)
