State owes universities fund grants

FIJI’S two main universities are owed millions of dollars by the Government of Fiji in funding grants, a Parliamentary committee was told yesterday.

The vice-chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs that USP was waiting for $9.9 million from the Government for the 2018-19 financial year, as well as its grant for the 2019-20 financial year.

He said the situation was not unique to USP.

“We are not alone in this, the same happened with Fiji National University so it’s not like USP has been treated differently.”

Prof Ahluwalia said the Australian government had also slashed funding to USP from $14m to $3.5m as a result of an investigation into allegations of mismanagement at the university in the years before his appointment.

A report on investigations into allegations of mismanagement at the University of the South Pacific will not be made public.

USP vice-chancellor and president Professor Pal Ahluwalia told the Parliament Standing Committee on Social Affairs the decision to keep the report confidential was made by the council committee, chaired by the Samoan Deputy Prime Minister, Cook Islands Prime Minister and Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

He said the report would only be released in confidence to governments who asked for it.

BDO Auckland, a New Zealand accountancy firm, completed an independent investigation commissioned by the audit and risk committee of USP.

Their findings were tabled at a special meeting of the USP Council on August 29 this year.

The investigation was focused on allegations made by Prof Ahluwalia of past mismanagement at USP, which he said he had discovered after his appointment as vicechancellor earlier this year.

“The question on why the report has not been released is one that I can’t answer because I spent most of the time, when this report was being discussed in Nadi, outside the room,” Prof Ahluwalia said.

“I had to excuse myself as the person who had actually made the allegations, so the discussion was one that was made by the council that it should not be released

“As far as I understand, there are plans to release it to governments who ask — for example Australia and New Zealand, as far as I am aware, have asked for the report on a confidential basis to do their due diligence.”