FNU’s New Labasa Campus Opening Delayed
The Fiji National University’s (FNU) new Labasa Campus opening will be delayed. This was confirmed by outgoing FNU Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Healey. He said the university was working closely with the contractor and the Ministry of Economy to minimise the delay to the opening of the new campus.
This $40 million project was expected to open for the 2020 academic year next month.
“We understand the importance of the new campus and the neighbouring Damodar City shopping mall to the people of the North,” Mr Healey said.
“We are confident that, taken together, they will lead to the economic renaissance of Labasa.
“Delays to a major construction project given our climate are an ever-present risk and we deliberately retained our existing rented teaching spaces in Labasa, so that our students would not be unduly disadvantaged in the event of a later completion date.”
The university confirmed that the claims about the contractor abandoning the project was untrue.
It further stated that Mr Healey met with the contractor in Labasa last week regarding the progress of the construction project.
“The contract specified completion of the construction project by the end of 2019, to allow the teaching facilities to be open for the start of the new academic year in 2020,” he said.
“However, as with all construction contracts in Fiji, the contract allows for delays due to special circumstances, most notably bad weather.
“As a result of poor weather conditions during the construction, the project has been delayed and will not be completed until later this year,” he said.
He further explained that the area where the campus was being built was close to the river and was prone to flooding and waterlogging in bad weather conditions.
The whole campus has been raised 2.5 metres to lift it above any flood risk, but the completion of the retaining walls and drains were delayed by rainy weather.
“The university is working closely with the contractor and the Construction Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Economy, which is funding the project, to agree on a revised timeline.
“There have been some minor variations as the project has progressed, as with every major project,” he said.
“However, there are no changes of substance to the building plans.”