Prof. Shameem Thrives in Leadership
Academia in the past has tended to be a male dominant field; but this is changing. At the same time there are very few females holding positions of leadership in academia all over the world and Fiji is no exception.
Professor Shaista Shameem is among the female leaders holding an important position in the Academia field.
She is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Fiji.
Professor Shameem has held academic positions in New Zealand prior to her appointment as Vice Chancellor University of Fiji in December 2020.
Interestingly, she also held public office positions in Fiji prior to joining the University of Fiji in 2009.
“I certainly had to work twice as hard as the men in my profession, especially in Fiji where inherent prejudice against women’s capabilities prevails,” she said.
“I also had to be super-qualified to be considered for the careers I chose. Women have a tough life if they want to be selected in leadership positions- they need to work twice as hard as well as continue to be responsible for the family.
“They have to be resilient and strong as their working day is always extended to beyond the working day for men- every woman knows that.”
Professor Shameem said she never thought of herself as a leader though she was always leading her classmates to mischief when she was at school, according to her mum and some of her teachers.
“But I do recall standing up to bullies and having them back off as I could be ferocious,” she added.
“My parents insisted on a rounded education at school which included joining Brownies and Girl Guides which emphasised leadership of young women and skills that were very useful, like how to tie complicated knots and how to find your way out if you got lost in the jungle.
“We proudly received badges for passing all sorts of competence tests. As a young adult I was also part of the Fiji YWCA which had strong female role models. “Leading by example is the best type of leadership and I learnt that very early on. Unfortunately, we do not see too many leaders by example these days- everyone likes to be ‘the boss’ or they like to manage people,
Leadership is different from management.”
Successful career
Professor Shameem became a journalist with the Fiji Times few months before she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Pacific (USP) in 1976.
She was the Editor of the USP student newspaper so journalism was a natural progression.
“I left the Fiji Times to move into education rather than information and became a high school teacher at Ratu Sukuna Memorial School in English, Social Studies and History, though I always say, once a journalist, always a journalist, as the craft never leaves you,” she said.
She said she had several careers since then, as an academic in New Zealand and Fiji, as a lawyer and as a public officer as Director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission and Ombudsman.
At the University of Fiji, she said she was totally dedicated to education in the fullest sense.
“The University provided me with the opportunity to be involved in tertiary education in a meaningful way,” Professor Shameem added.
“My view is that the education system is failing young people and we need to do something to ensure that future generations do have a future at all.
“Hence our education system must be revolutionised in policy, content of the curriculum and administration before it is too late. We need to build a knowledge-based society in all respects in a holistic way.” Technology vs gender equality
Professor Shameem highlighted that technology quite often acted against women because it alienated them.
“At the same time technology can give women information and connectivity with the world- so it represents a revolution also,” she said.
“Technology on its own is unlikely to result in gender equality. Gender equality is a social and not technological phenomenon. Technology is just a tool. It can be used for liberation or, alternatively, for enslavement. “However, properly promoted, technology and digitalisation can empower women and girls and accelerate gender equality by feminising human capital so that women and girls are able to become independent and self-reliant.”