HIS EXCELLENCY RATU EPELI NAILATIKAU
CF, KStJ, LVO, OBE (Mil), CSM, MSD
President of the Republic of Fiji
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDRESS AT THE 2014 UNIFIJI GRADUATION CEREMONY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
University of Fiji Campus
SAWENI
Friday, 11th April, 2014
10.00a.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• The Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council Mr. Anil Tikaram
• The Members of the Council
• The Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Kevin Coll
• The Registrar – Ambassador Kamlesh Arya
• Your Excellencies the Ambassadors and High Commissioners
• Na Momo na Tui Vuda
• Staff of the University of Fiji
• The Graduands
• Parents and Community Representatives
• Members of the Mataqali Navocotia
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning, ni sa bula vinaka, salaam alaykum, namaste to you all.

We are gathered here this morning to celebrate the success of the graduating students.

I congratulate you all most warmly. For your hard earned achievements which now sets the firm foundation for your careers.

At the outset i wish to acknowledge three things:
Firstly, the appointment of Professor Richard Kevin Coll as the new Vice-Chancellor of UniFiji who took office on 20th of January 2014.

I extend to Professor Coll a very warm welcome to Fiji and look forward to his dynamic contributions towards the increased success of the University of Fiji. Professor Coll’s active involvement with the Fiji Higher Education Commission and the Fijian community are already showing positive steps in this quest for continued development.

Secondly i wish to congratulate Mr. Anil Tikaram the new Pro-Chancellor and the Chair of the Council.

He succeeds the Foundation Pro-Chancellor Pandit Bhuwan Dutt whose six year term expired in December 2013. Pandit Bhuwan Dutt’s outstanding services to UniFiji are immensely appreciated. Mr. Tikaram has the daunting task of ensuring that UniFiji continues to grow and that it positively impacts on the lives of her many Fijian students. UniFiji is indeed fortunate to have a man of his caliber and achievement at the helm.

Thirdly, I also acknowledge the fact that UniFiji is in its tenth year of operations. Throughout this period it has kept to its vision of providing quality and affordable education to those who have passed through her doors. Our graduates have been making their presence felt in our country and for this I salute them. I also congratulate the founders of the university and deeply acknowledge the services provided by the staff towards the programmes which are of international repute.

 
I have no doubt that as the Fiji Higher Education Commission begins to accredit courses onto the Fiji Qualifications Framework that UniFiji’s courses will succeed, thereby moving them towards greater international comparability.

As one of the two fully fijian-owned universities, UniFiji has created its own competitive niche amongst the three universities in the country in providing quality and affordable higher education to all her students.

As your Chancellor, I ask that UniFiji actively define this niche with absolute clarity so that the Fijian people will appreciate its existence.

The Fijian government led by Rear Admiral Voreqe Bainimarama has brought about an educational revolution - a paradigm shift that is aimed at revolutionizing the Fijian education system.

This unprecedented move by government is a shift from educating the elite to educating the entire nation; a shift towards making Fiji a smarter and knowledge-based society; and a shift towards providing better opportunities for all our people. No longer will our citizens who are seeking knowledge, skills and training be left behind because of economic disadvantage. Hence, I implore all Fijians to use these opportunities wisely. Every one of us must play our part in taking Fiji forward through education.

To usher in this new development, government in 2014 set aside a total of $541.5 million for the education sector. This comprises approximately 19 percent of the total annual budget.

Never has such a significant portion been allocated to education before.

Within the higher education sector, government allocated $80.7 million dollars as operational grants to nine higher education institutes; $78 million for the scholarships and loan scheme and $4.5million for capital grants.

Acknowledging the contributions of UniFiji to Fiji’s human resource development, government provided an allocation of $3.53 million to the university. This will definitely assist UniFiji in meeting its objectives for 2014.

It is also notable that the student population at UniFiji has continued to grow at the annual rate of 30% - the target set by the council. This year the student numbers at UniFiji is around 1600. Last December as chancellor of UniFiji I conferred the MBBS Degree to the first batch of 33 graduating students and I note with much appreciation and pride that all of them are in government service at the three divisional hospitals.

It is indeed very heartening to note that the University of Fiji has been increasing the number of graduands every year.

Today 250 students have graduated in a variety of fields. I again, sincerely congratulate you all. Most would have found appropriate employment in the private and the public sector.

There is definitely scope for absorbing the remaining few in the job market.

In recent weeks, the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji stressed the importance of small and medium enterprises to the Fijian economy and the potential for this sector to produce more employment opportunities including self-employment. We also hear that there are around 30,000 persons registered with the National Employment Centre with about 12,000 of them having some form of tertiary qualification.

I challenge the new graduates to look towards this sector for self-employment in the same way that I challenge the UniFiji Management to put some emphasis in this area in their teaching.

Our employment sector is growing but if we target some training towards the small and medium enterprises then we can fill this area that has much potential for growth.

Universities have a responsibility to educate and train its students to meet the needs of and to change society. Therefore, as your Chancellor, I implore the graduates and UniFiji management to respond with vigour and patriotism to these challenges in our country.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are all aware that Fiji is going through a dengue fever epidemic which has infected more than 30,000 people and claimed 12 lives this year.

As agents of change you could work with government and the community at large to develop a healthier Fiji by destroying the breeding places of mosquitoes, a seemingly mundane task for a graduate, but one which will help to save lives and millions of dollars in health care.

This is a small but significant example of the responsibilities with which you graduates can be involved.

Also, as many of you are fully aware, I have for many years been advocating against the spread of HIV and Aids in Fiji and the region. I have been most vocal in the need for protection, the practice of safe sex, and the use of condoms which prevents the transmission of aids and, most importantly, saves lives. However, I note with much concern that the number of HIV and Aids cases continue to increase. Last year we had 64 new cases – the highest in any year.
 
This basically shows that some members of the society are not serious about their own lives or the lives of their loved ones. To use the “in term” – they think they are “bullet proof”. As young adults, you must make sure that you do not fall foul to your actions that will bring ill health and grief to you and your families. You have all been privileged to have received a tertiary education, so you must behave responsibly as you venture into the world to make a positive contribution for fiji and humanity.

Last but not the least, the general elections under Fiji’s new constitution is now scheduled for September 17th 2014. The constitution now enables citizens from age 18 and upwards to decide on a government that will bring peace, equality and prosperity for all. All those of you who are graduating today are eligible to vote.

Please carefully consider the options available to you at the polls as our nation works towards democracy and sustainable socio-economic development for all Fijians.

Graduands, I wish you well in all your future endeavours.

Thank you, vinaka vakalevu, sukria, bahoot dhanyavaad.