Empowering and educating students with an extensive array of academic, technical, and vocational programs!
Presenting one of the renowned and dynamic institutions of Fiji, which has been a center for educational excellence –Fiji National University. With the aim of guiding students on their learning journey and ensuring they are connected with the pathway to their dream careers, Fiji National University came into existence in 2010.
Fiji National University (FNU), which was formally amalgamated into a dual TvET/High Ed sector 13 years ago, has a rich and colorful history of relevant education that dates back to the founding of its component colleges in 1882. Every year, almost 25,000 students come through the university. In its thirteen years of existence, FNU has also accomplished numerous milestones in terms of introducing new programs, raising standards of quality, and using its five colleges to contribute to publications and research.
The Woman of the Hour
Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba is the Vice Chancellor of FNU. She holds a doctorate (Ph.D.) in education, having previously earned first-class undergraduate and master’s degrees with distinctions, respectively. She is a professional educator with expertise in international education, higher education, and development. Her professional career has spanned about 40 years, during which she demonstrated strong and effective leadership abilities at the national, regional (Pacific Islands and Oceania), and international levels. She has also had managerial, technical, and academic expertise. She is currently a professor of education and the acting vice chancellor of the Fiji National University. She had previously worked for seven years at the University of Guam before taking a leave of absence in October 2017 as a tenured professor of education to return and support the development of Fiji’s own national university.
She has an intense curiosity about mentoring recent graduates from the Pacific, including early-career researchers and undergraduates. She has written several books and has more than 200 publications. In 2007, the American Educational Research Association (AERA International & Indigenous Education SIG) recognized her Ph.D. thesis and book, “Knowing and Learning: An Indigenous Fijian Approach,” as a noteworthy contribution to indigenous and global knowledge in education.
Her work experience spans several countries, including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Yap, Pohnpei, Rota, Saipan (CNMI), Guam, and Palau, with brief stints in the US.
FNU’s Distinctive Learning Portfolio
FNU offers certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, degrees, postgraduate qualifications, and skills upgrading for those who are already in employment. The institution continues to honor its tradition of imparting higher education, technical and vocational training (TVET), and foreign, regional, and Fijian students. Their primary objective is to develop, strengthen, and reskill a workforce that is capable and has the right soft skills for Fiji, the Pacific region, and beyond.
Through a thriving Alumni Association, FNU stays in touch with its students and is dedicated to enhancing its support services for admission, retention, progression, completion, career guidance, and graduate outcomes. Among its student-focused services are foundation and transition programs that support the adjustment to university life and career counseling that enables students to make well-informed decisions about their future.
“We are dedicated to providing inclusive, top-notch education to all Fijians through our dual-sector approach. This implies that FNU is open to everyone wishing to pursue postgraduate or undergraduate tertiary education. Our programs are tailored to fit the schedules of working adults, offering flexible class times so they may continue their professional obligations while upgrading their skills”, the leading lady apprised.
Value-driven Mission and Vision Vision
Fiji National University is envisioned to be the leading dual-sector public university predicated on inclusiveness, innovation, and accessibility for Fiji and the Pacific.
Mission
Their mission is to serve the people of Fiji and the Pacific region with leadership that engages with people and communities, respects partnership, enhances excellence, provides educational and skills opportunities, promotes sustainability through research with real-world impact, and contributes to self-development and employability.
The Key Differentiating Factors That Make FNU “A Shining Star of the Education Landscape”
FNU expands beyond urban and suburban areas of the various provinces to give access to and maintain touch with potential and continuing students, respectively.
through more than ten campuses and numerous centers around the nation. This assures that students in both trade and higher education programs can access high-quality, reasonably priced education.
They provide competitive tuition fees and various financial assistance schemes to ensure the financial situations of students and their families do not hinder their academic dreams and progress.
To ensure a wider reach of information about FNU, the university organizes enrollment drive campaigns such as roadshows. There are more than 300 programs available at FNU. These offer many admission routes for students according to their academic levels and cover certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, undergraduate, and postgraduate degrees.
Additionally, FNU has grown throughout the area, offering short-term training programs on islands like Nauru that enable learners to earn official certifications.
FNU’s Insights on Diversity and Inclusion
As a dual-sector university, FNU strongly believes in equality and inclusion across its TVET and higher education streams of learning. Major global developments of their time, including changes in population, refugee and migrant crises, rising inequality, and climate change, have all contributed to the growing variety observed in nations, communities, and educational settings.
Accordingly, FNU’s main Nasinu campus in the Central Division is home to a disability center. In addition to facilitating access and inclusion for students with disabilities, the purpose-built facility will also be in charge of organizing support services, granting acceptable academic accommodations, and raising awareness of disabilities among the university community. The Center is prepared and dedicated to helping students with disabilities meet their academic objectives.
The university is also in the process of developing a Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) strategy to further promote inclusion among students, staff, and the wider university community.
The Impact of the Pandemic: Positive and Negative
The pandemic forced the university to transition to distance education, but this was nothing new for FNU as the majority of their pre-pandemic courses and learning were also delivered virtually and using an online learning management system.
The university fully implemented online learning processes while taking into account the characteristics and experiences of its students, some of whom had restricted access to laptops or other suitable learning devices due to network connectivity issues. Case-by-case discretion was used to provide flexibility in order to protect student safety and learning.
The pandemic also provided the opportunity for the university to fully explore online learning and teaching and consistently improve its delivery through this medium for a more fulfilling experience for students.
Overcoming the Hurdles Along the Way
Given its recent founding, FNU faces numerous obstacles. Among these are the Pacific Youth’s and Fiji’s ravenous need for education and skill development. Aware of the substantial youth population, FNU continues to respond by collaborating with pertinent parties to offer suitable programs, particularly at the Tvet level. One such initiative is their creative arts program. The competitive tertiary education environment in Fiji, where there are other notable, established, and, in certain areas, well-resourced institutions, presents another difficulty for the newly established university. Despite this, they have worked to improve their programs and offer a supportive and empowering atmosphere, all backed by an aggressive marketing plan that reaches even the most remote regions of the nation.
Dedicated to the Betterment of the University
In light of the existential threat posed by climate change to Fiji, Professor Unaisi, in her role as Vice-Chancellor, hopes to be remembered for her unwavering commitment to the betterment of the university, the positive influence she had on her peers and students, and her never-ending pursuit of and engagement in realistic, straightforward, and mundane practices and activities of sustainability.
The Future Outlook
Moving on from its ambitious goal to propel the institute, FNU is finalizing its Strategic Plan 2024–2026 with a longer-term vision until 2037. FNU’s SP 24-26 Education for Wisdom and Sustainability: Shaping Fiji’s Future establishes their collective aspirations that the next three years will see FNU build better and stronger as it brings them to its 15th year of existence as an amalgamated university. Similar to this, Vision 2037 outlines their longer-term goals for FNU’s future (2027–2037), emphasizing the improvement of research, teaching, and learning in order to provide Fiji and the Pacific with sustainable solutions.
