By EDDIE OSIFELO
MINISTRY of Education and Human Resources is pleased to hear the restart of Semester 1 at University of South Pacific (USP) Laucala campus on Monday, April 20, 2020.
Professor Pal Ahluwalia Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific confirmed this through a memo to the staff and students.
The VC stated although most Campuses remain in lockdown, they expect the remainder of this Semester to be taught on a remote basis.
He said consequently, all students can access USP teaching materials remotely through Moodle.
“Please note that we expect all students to resume studying remotely next week.
“For students studying in trimesters or other terms, please contact your Course Coordinator for further information.
- For our students in Fiji, Vodafone and Digicel have made provisions for their customers to access USP website and Moodle for free.
- For our students in the Regional Campuses, similar arrangements with network providers are being sought by our Campus Directors. Regional students please stay in touch with your Campus Directors for further information.
- Please follow advisories from your Governments regarding COVID-19 restrictions.”
PS Rodie said he was pleased with the decision because it would mean a lot to our students in terms of continuation of their education.
He said USP was closed for a good number of weeks and our students’ education was disrupted quite drastically however the decision or advisory issued is welcoming.
“Our tertiary students’ learning was impacted significantly.
“If the closure of the USP were to be prolonged for say more than three months, it would have devastating impact not only on students’ learning but also the entire university would suffer to a large extent in terms of loss of revenue should students defer their courses till 2021,” PS Rodie said.
“I am of the view that stringent measures, orders and regulations imposed by the Fiji Government will still be applied till the coronavirus threat at the Laucala campus or in Suva/Fiji is completed eliminated,” he said.
About 1,100 students are currently studying in various universities in Fiji.
Recently, the government gave an additional $5000 SBD to the students to help them during the pandemic situation in Fiji.
