Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697776163291.pdf (Fiji)
F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Commission’s 11 Mandated Functions 1.

To register and regulate higher education institutions according to provisions of the Promulgation; 2.

To foster and safeguard the national interest, the interest of students and parents and also of local higher education providers; 3.

To establish national standards for different qualifications; 4.

To oversee the review process of higher education institutions; 5.
To provide assurances that programmes developed by institutions meet national standards; 7.

To allocate government funds marked for higher education annually for higher education institutions according to a transparent and well publicized criteria for allocation; 9.

To maintain a database of higher education information; 11.

To make recommendations to the Minister with respect to issues consistent with its functions including special projects.

6.
6.

To promote the development of Fiji as a knowledge society; 8.

To foster cooperation among higher education institutions and linkages between higher education institutions and industry; 10.
To develop or cause to be developed an academic broadband facility for use by higher education institutions; ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 1 Commission’s Vision, Mission & Philosophy F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Vision The Commission has a vision of Fiji being a premier, world class higher education destination.
Mission that higher education To ensure indispensable institutions pursue an and level of quality, excellence relevance in higher education that is globally competitive and internationally recognised.

Philosophy The Commission’s pursuit of the above mission is guided by the belief that higher education is essential for social, economic, political and cultural progress.
Higher education also provides expanded opportunities for learners to realize their potentials so they can become productive and competitive in the workplace, constructive in the community, creative in their endeavours and peaceable.
ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE CONTENTS 06 ABBREVIATIONS 08 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN 09 OVERVIEW BY DIRECTOR 10 MEMBERS OF THE FIJI HIGH EDUCATION COMMISSION 2014 11 MEMBERS OF THE FIJI QUALIFICATIONS COUNCIL 2014 12 RECOGNITION COMMITTEE 12 REGISTRATION COMMITTEE 13 COMMITTEE FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF UNIVERSITY QUALIFICATIONS (CAUQ) 14 INDUSTRY STANDARDS ADVISORY COMMITTEES (ISACs) 15 FHEC ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 2014 16 THE FHEC TEAM LEADERS 17 STATEMENT OF SERVICE PERFORMANCE 17 BETTER ECONOMIC OUTCOMES 17 LEGISLATIONS AND POLICES 18 STRATEGIC PLAN 19 STRATEGIC OUTCOME 1 •STRATEGIC OUTCOME 1 •STRATEGY 20 QUALITY ASSURANCE AFFILIATION TO QUALITY ASSURANCE BODIES 21 FHEC’S QA REVIEW PROCESS 21 QUALITY ASSURANCE OPERATIONS AT FHEC 21 INTERNATIONAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOR THE FHEC AND INSTITUTION HEADS 22 EDUCATING ON THE POTENTIAL RISK AND CORRUPTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION 22 ASSESSED BY THE SEA NATIONAL EVALUATORS 23 STRATEGIC OUTCOME 2 •STRATEGIC OUTCOME 2 •STRATEGY 24 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 24 2014 RECOGNITION OF INSTITUTIONS 27 REGISTRATION 28 PROGRAMME ACCREDITATION 28 PILOT FOR NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS 29 COMPETENCY-BASED ASSESSMENT AND MODERATION SYSTEM PAGE 4 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N CONTENTS 29 MoE/TVET – UPDATE ON REGISTRATION OF VOCATIONAL CENTRES UNDER THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 29 FIJI QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK 29 POLICY ON THE REGISTRATION OF QUALIFICATIONS ON THE FQF 30 NEW QUALIFICATIONS IDENTIFIED AND DEVELOPED POLICY ON THE REGISTRATION OF QUALIFICATIONS ON THE FQF 31 STRATEGIC OUTCOME 3 • STRATEGIC OUTCOME 3 • STRATEGY 32 OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCE (OER) 33 FHEC ADVOCACY 34 COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING COURTESY VISIT 35 STRATEGIC OUTCOME 4 • STRATEGIC OUTCOME 4 • STRATEGY 36 REGISTRY | FQC | CAUQ | FHEC COMMISSION BOARD 37 COMMITTEE FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF UNIVERSITY QUALIFICATIONS (CAUQ) 37 COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT 39 STRATEGIC OUTCOME 5 • STRATEGIC OUTCOME 5 • STRATEGY 40
 ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING ASIA – PACIFIC QUALITY NETWORK 2014 CONFERENCE – VIETNAM, 7TH – 8TH MARCH, 2014 41 INQAAHE FORUM – ESTONIA, TALLINN, 26TH– 28TH MAY 2014 41 13TH SESSION OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE ON THE RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, 4 - 5 AUGUST 41 QUALITY ASSURANCE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME, MALAYSIA, 3RD – 7TH NOVEMBER 42 REGIONAL DIALOGUE ON ICTD CAPACITY BUILDING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ANNUAL PARTNER MEETINGS FOR THE ACADEMY AND PRIMER PROGRAMME, KOREA, 24TH NOVEMBER – 1ST DECEMBER 42 42 FINANCE AND RESEARCH FUNDING MODEL 44 OPERATING GRANTS 45 RESEARCH 2014 47 RESEARCH REPORT ON GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS NEEDED BY EMPLOYERS IN FIJI (2014) 48 RESEARCH ON COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF QUALITY OF NURSING GRADUATES IN FIJI.
ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE ABBREVIATIONS ABP APQN ANZ CATD CBT CEO EER ENIC EQA EU FCEF - - - - - - – - - - - – FHEC - FNPF - FNU - FQC – FQF - GCT - GGP - HEIs HR - INQAAHE - IQA ISAC IT MoA MBT MoE MoL MoU MoY NARIC NEC NQs PINZ PRQS - – - - – - – – - - - - - - Annual Business Plan Asia Pacific Quality Network Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited Centre for Appropriate Technology & Development Competency Based Training Chief Executive Officer External Evaluation & Review European Network of Information Centers External Quality Assurance European Union Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Fiji Higher Education Commission Fiji National Provident Fund Fiji National University Fiji Qualification Council Fiji Qualification Framework Governance Corporate & Technological Guidelines of Good Practices Higher Education Institutions Human Resources International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education Internal Quality Assurance Industry Standard Advisory Council Information Technology Memorandum of Agreement Monfort Boys Town Ministry of Education Ministry of Labour Memorandum of Understanding Ministry of Youths National Academic Recognition Information Centers National Employment Centre National Qualifications Polytechnic International New Zealand Pacific Register for Qualifications and Standard PS PSC PSET PSM Q & R QA QMS RoL RPL SGs SOPs SPBEA TEST TVET VTC UNESCO CAUQ ONAWE OER SFCCO HEC TES SEA SPBEQ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – – – – – – – – PQF – DMT – COL MQA – UN-APCICT – FBEA NUCES – – Professional Services Public Service Commission Post- Secondary Education and Training Professional Staff Meeting Qualifications & Research Quality Assurance Quality Management System Record of Learning Record of Prior Learning Solicitor Generals Standard Operating Procedures Secretariat of the Pacific Board for Educational Assessment Technical Employment Skills Training Technical Vocational Education and Training Vivekananda Technical
 Centre United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications Online Assessment With Evidence Open Education Resources Strategic Framework for Change Coordinating Office Higher Education Commission Technical Expertise Service Service Excellence Award Secretariat for the Pacific Board for Education and Qualifications Pacific Qualifications Framework Dynamic Marketing Team Commonwealth Of Learning Malaysian Qualification Agency The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development Fiji Business Excellence Awards National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences PAGE 6 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN It has been the fifth year of operations.
None of the success would have been possible without active stakeholders’ engagement and support.

Definitely, the Commission will continue to serve with a unified voice in uplifting the higher education system for Fiji.

Thank you and wish you all a blessed Christmas and a prosperous 2015.

Richard Wah Executive Chairman The continuation of financial incentives from the Government has cemented pathways to strengthen the current processes within the Commission.
Recommendations on the development of National Qualifications have received positive responses from Industry and Institutions major Higher Education (HEIs) and advocacy has been in place to promote and understand how they enhance higher education provision in Fiji.

More broadly, supporting an in education framework that promotes quality, relevance and consistency, the Commission continued to seek new opportunities to further develop and strengthen its operations.
Our challenge, therefore, is to continue innovative growth searching that ensuring opportunities we prioritise and capture these appropriately.

and for I take this opportunity to thank my fellow Commission members for their strong support during the year.
As such, I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Minister for Education – Mr Filipe Bole, the Government Ministries, HEIs , Civil societies, faith based organisations, industries, professional associations, licensing bodies and donor agencies for their continued support in 2014.
To the Director – Mrs Salote Rabuka, the Secretariat staff and members of various committees of the Commission, the combined partnership has provided a clear pathway on carrying out the desired tasks to meet the national targets - your efforts are greatly appreciated.
On behalf of the Commission, It gives me great pleasure to introduce the 2014 Annual Report of the Fiji Higher Education Commission, together with the audited financial statements for the financial year ended 31st December 2014. a towards excellence year witnessed lot of The achievements which was all made possible through the demonstrated input from the sections.

Being in the fifth year of its operation, the Commission has yet, entered another phase and productivity in the higher education sector.
As we travelled across the 2014 calendar, sequence of events have occurred which triggered positive responses from our stakeholders.

Each of the achievements outlined in our Annual Report represents the respective roles the Commission has undertaken to shift the focus closer towards the desired output for Fiji’s higher education system.

Quality assurance in higher education services is a reality today and its future growth is expected to be very significant all over the world.
The Commission has been following this trend and we are committed to the provision and maintenance of a desired level of quality education.

The Quality Assurance procedures are integrated both internally and externally within higher education entities operating in Fiji and have been readily adopted within the operations at the Commission.
PAGE 8 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT workshop for the staff and the Commission’s Committee members was organized in May and facilitated by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).

These workshops were most enlightening and inspiring in terms of individual growth and corporate responsibility.

The year marked the beginning of the allocation of government grants by the Commission to HEIs.
This is a mandated function of the Commission which, after much research and analysis, was able to be implemented based on a transitional model which would continue to evolve in the coming years.

A total of ten (10) HEIs including the three universities received operating grants as a result.
There was increase in the staff capacity for this activity as it was necessary to consolidate the work and facilitate the processes that are necessary for fairness, equity, accountability, transparency and quality in the process of allocating grants.

The Commission was acutely aware of the need to strengthen its supporting infrastructure to enhance efficiency and accountability.

For this reason, it moved away from accounting on a cash basis towards accrual accounting.
Supporting this was a Digi Payroll system for a reliable, secure and on- time payroll that would minimize the time spent on related administrative tasks.

There was consolidation also in the supporting IT system whereby the Record of applications Learning; Fiji Qualifications Framework; ISAACs (Industry Standards Advisory Committees); (Online Assessment With Evidence) and a system to cater particularly for the need of small HEIs called HECsyslite were made part of the bigger HEC system.
There was planning for IT support in the distribution of grants to HEIs to enable ONAWE for OVERVIEW BY DIRECTOR regular and easier data flow from HEIs and timeliness in the delivery of grants by the Commission.

Because of the complexities involved, this process is expected to take sometime.

that the programmes The task of accrediting institutions they and offer continued during the year.
A significant achievement was the award of provisional registration to the Fiji National University and the University of Fiji.

This gives a total of 23 registered HEIS and six (6) provisionally registered ones by the end of 2014.

This leaves a total of 19 institutions to be registered.

A total of fourteen (14) programmes in levels 1 – 6 were accredited on the Fiji Qualifications Framework.
Work on the CAUQ (Committee for the accreditation of University Qualifications) continued with the Committee meeting three times and two workshops were held to prepare the evaluators for their tasks in accrediting programmes in levels 7 – 10 on the Fiji Qualifications Framework.

The support of academics outside of Fiji in this critical activity is greatly appreciated.

The year was not without its challenges in all areas and at all levels.
It was the team spirit at the secretariat level and the commitment of the members of the Commission to the pursuit of their mandated functions that enabled the achievements and progress made during the year.

Salote Rabuka Director ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 9 2014 marked the fifth year of the Commission’s operation.
With the gradual expansion of the scope of its work in the previous four years, the Commission needed to consolidate and strengthen the various processes that had resulted from the expansion to ensure the sustainability of these processes and their capacity to yield their expected outputs for the year.

These outputs, in turn, contributed to the achievement of the Commission’s objectives in the Strategic Development Plan for the period 2012 – 2015.
The Commission addressed this need through a number of initiatives in its key areas of operation.

Quality assurance (QA) was upheld as a process that could raise and maintain quality and standards in terms of individual outputs, sectional outputs and the output of the agency as a whole.

The latter was reinforced by a commitment to engage in 2015 in an external review of the Commission as an accrediting agency by the Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN).
The QA of higher education institutions (HEIs) was implemented in terms of the External Evaluation and Review (EER) process as well as their Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) to support their continuous improvement and enhance the quality of their educational outcomes.
for all Because QA had a place in all key areas of operation, a Quality Management Training the Commission’s officers and heads of HEIs was held in April with the kind sponsorship of technical expertise service by the Asian Productivity Organization.
For similar reasons and focusing specifically on awareness of the risks of corruption Members of the Fiji High Education Commission 2014 The Higher Education Promulgation was gazetted on 14th October 2008 and came into effect on 1st January 2010 establishing the Fiji Higher Education Commission as an autonomous governance framework.
The FHEC comprises of Chairman, and six Commissioners who are patriotic citizens with high standing in their current or past fields of work.

Since its inception in January 2010 the Commission has been working towards regulating the operation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the qualifications they offer through its recognition, registration and accreditation processes.

1.

Dr. Richard Wah - Executive Chairman 2.

Mr. Arun Narsey - Chartered Accountant 3.


Mr. Savenaca Madanavosa - FQC Chairman 4.

Dr. John Fatiaki - Consultant Physician 5.

Mrs. Emi Rabukawaqa - Former Permanent Secretary for Education 6.

Mr. Alipate Qetaki - General Manager, iTaukei Lands Trust Board 7.
Mr. Pratarp Singh - President, Fiji Institution of Engineers 1 3 5 7 2 4 6 PAGE 10 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Members of the Fiji Qualifications Council 2014 The Fiji Qualifications Council is a forum of the FHEC, whose primary role is to administer the Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF).

The Council is governed by the Higher Education (Qualifications) Regulations 2009.

It comprises of a Chairman and seven members.


The Council is responsible for accrediting qualifications at Levels 1-6 on the FQF and reviewing such qualifications every 5 years to ensure their currency and adherence to acceptable and relevant standards of teaching and assessment.

1.

Mr. Savenaca Madanavosa (Chair) - Retired University Administrator 2.

Mrs. Salote Rabuka (Member) - Director Fiji Higher Education Commission 3.

Mr. Humphrey Chan (Member) - Managing Director, Wing Lee Motors 4.
Mr. Raymond Nicholls (Member) - Company Manager/Director Intergrated Welding Industries 5.

Mr. Meli Nacuva (Member) - Pilot Project Manger Connexional Plan Methodist Church 6.
Mr. Neeraj Kumar (Member) - Senior Mechanical Engineer, Ministry of Labour 1 3 5 2 4 6 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 11 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Recognition Committee Applications by institutions for recognition by and registration with the Commission are thoroughly assessed and scrutinized by the members of the Recognition and Registration Committees respectively.

The Committees then make recommendations accordingly to the Commission.

1 1.
1 1.

Mr. Etuate Koroi (Chair) - Former CEO: Land Transport Authority 2.

Rigieta Nadakuitavuki (Member) - Former Director of Nursing 3.

Mr. Vikram Deo (Member) - Retired University Lecturer Registration Committee 2 3 4.

Dr. Robin Taylor (Chair) - Director & Co Founder: Multiple Intelligence School 5.

Mrs Salote Dugu (Member) - Former Principal Education Officer TVET: Ministry of Education 6.
Mr. Josefa Matau (Member) - Former Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Defence 1 2 3 PAGE 12 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications (CAUQ) The Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications (CAUQ) is a committee of the Fiji Higher Education Commission.
It comprises of the Vice-Chancellors of the University of the South Pacific, the Fiji National University, University of Fiji, and an independent chairman, Dr. John Harré of New Zealand.

The universities had been established by their individual statutes, which to varying degrees empowered them to approve their own qualifications.

However, the power was not consistent with the statutory responsibilities of the Fiji Higher Education Commission.
For this reason, the Vice-Chancellors negotiated a procedure with the Commission whereby they took joint responsibility for the approval of new programmes at Level 7 and above on the Fiji Qualifications Framework.

This involved the formation of the CAUQ.

1.

Dr. John Harre - Chairman 2.

Dr. Chandra Dulare - Acting Vice Chancellor, Univerisity of Fiji 3.

Dr. Ganesh Chand - Vice Chancellor, Fiji National University 4.
Professor Rajesh Chandra - Vice Chancellor, University of the South Pacific ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 13 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N INDUSTRY STANDARDS ADVISORY COMMITTEES (ISACs) ISACs are made up of people with standing in various trades and professions who are appointed by the Commission to develop National Qualifications in levels 1 to 6 on the the Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF).
Their membership is drawn from industry, professional associations, accrediting agencies and higher education institutions.

ISAC members are trained and registered by the FHEC.

They ensure that training and assessment meet industry requirements and that each qualification outlines the minimum number of unit standards a learner must achieve in any particular field.
to engage with The ISACs support the Fiji Higher Education Commission’s commitment stakeholders and selected institutions for the development of unit standards, workplace manuals, assessor guides and National Qualifications (NQs) in Fiji.

The ISACs ensure that the NQs industry developed and delivered by education providers in Fiji are aligned to the needs of the industries, and benchmarked to other recognised national and regional qualifications frameworks in other countries.
The ISACs meet on six or more occasions prior to the completion of a new qualification.

Membership ranges from 8-16 persons per ISAC.

Training of members Members are required to attend a one/two days training before they develop a NQ.

In 2014, training was conducted for ISACs to develop NQs in bus driving, tour guiding, mining and basic security operations.
PAGE 14 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT / ) I Q N ( r e c i f f O l a n o i s s e f o r P ) D Q N ( / y r t n E a t a D I r e c i f f O t r o p p u S T / ’ * ) I Q N ( r e c i f f O l a n o i s s e f o r P ) D Q N ( r e c i f f O m a e T r e d a e L Y R T S G E R I ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 15 e c n a n F i & h c r a e s e R | e c n a r u s s A y t i l a u Q i g n n n a P & y c l i l o P i s n o i t a c n u m m o C & y c i l o P A Q i g n n n a P l ) l a n r e t n I ( l t s y a n A & y c i l o P A Q l t s y a n A g n n n a P l i ) l a n r e t x E ( ) l a ) h c r a e s e R ( l t s y a n A y c i l o P ) h c r a e s e R ( l t s y a n A y c i l o P ) y t i v i t c u d o r P ( l t s y a n A y c i l ) y t i u q E ( o P r e c i f f O e c n a i l p m o C l ) s n a P t n e m t s e v n I ( i l & E
The FHEC Team Leaders Mr Eci Naisele Team Leader – Professional Services Mrs Ronika Devi Acting Team Leader – Finance & Research Mr Robert Misau Team Leader – Corporate Services Ms Sereseini Vuki Acting Team Leader – Quality Assurance Mrs Anu Mani Acting Team Leader – Registry PAGE 16 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Statement of Service Performance Additionally, the FHEC is guided by the following Policies: • Quality Assurance Policy • Policy of Staff Bonding • Human Resources Policies and Procedure Manual • Finance Policy • Accreditation Policy • Complaints Policy • Policy on Competency-Based Assessment [CBA] • Policy on Recognition • Policy on Registration • Policy on development of National Qualifications • Registrations of Qualifications The FHEC gives effect to its overarching responsibilities for post-secondary education and training through a comprehensive framework of regulations that cover the establishment, recognition, registration, and development of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the programmes that they offer.
Simultaneously, it promotes the development of the sector as a whole through processes that foster collaboration, quality assurance and international recognition.
The FHEC is committed to quality higher education and training or sustainable development through: • Quality academic and corporate governance; • National Standards and Qualifications; • Encouraging lifelong learning through pathways and progression opportunities; • Administration of the National Qualifications Framework; • Fostering collaborations between higher education institutions and industries.
Better Economic Outcomes In addition to the monitoring of the Strategic Plan 2012 - 2015, the FHEC in having developed its own policies and processes has incorporated the same in the strategic planning process to consider significant issues for the Commission, the HEIs and industries.

The industries progressively steer the Fijian economy in directions where the FHEC provides significant support for and the enhancement of the aforementioned through its HEIs and leading-edge research.
Legislations and Polices The FHEC is mandated and guided by the provisions of the following decree and legislations: • Higher Education Promulgation 2008 • Higher Education Regulation 2009 • Higher Education (Qualifications) Regulation 2010 • Higher Education (Qualifications) (Amendment) Regulation 2013 • Crimes Decree 2009 • Employment Relations Promulgation 2009 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 17 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Strategic Plan For socio-economic progress, Fiji needs to be supported by a dynamic and focused higher education and training environment.
This was to ensure a capable workforce and a way forward for its multi-cultural and healthy communities of people.

The strategic planning document outlines the strategies to be pursued every four years and their resultant outcomes in key areas of Fiji’s higher education sector.

The Strategic Plan is consistent with the vision, mission and values of the FHEC.
These statements espouse the notion of a dynamic education and training culture that is responsive to the needs of industry and society, while fostering lifelong learning and having the desire to obtain international credibility.

The five outcomes identified in the 2012 – 2015 Plan are aligned with the President’s mandate as stated in the Peoples’ Charter for Change, Peace and Progress and the Roadmap for Democracy and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.
Of particular interest are Pillars 5 and 9 from the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress which respectively promote sustainable economic development and the growth of a knowledge society.

The Strategic Plan also recognises the efforts made to strategically link important areas for economic growth as done through the application of the National Strategic Human Resources Development Plan 2011 – 2015.
It takes into account the policies developed earlier at the then Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji [now under the Fiji National University] in collaboration with Polytechnics International New Zealand (PINZ) when the initial ground- work began on the development of the Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF).

The FQF together with the regulatory and developmental work of the FHEC on institutions and their programmes are strategically linked to Fiji’s education and training capacity.
This Plan identifies the priorities and objectives to be pursued to maximize this education and training capacity that is relevant to national needs.

The FQF, in particular, is expected to establish a platform for planning and development at all levels of education and training.
PAGE 18 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N STRATEGIC OUTCOME 1 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 19 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Strategic Outcome 1 Strategy Quality, relevance and consistency of education and training provision across the nation is assured.
Implement the FQF and Quality Assurance System and ensure their continuing development Quality Assurance The Quality Assurance (QA) unit is primarily responsible for quality assurance matters in the FHEC as an agency (internal) and HEIs (external) in Fiji.

The quality assurance processes is an evidence-based approach that ensures goals are being achieved and that policies and practices are under continuous review as part of an overall continuous improvement and quality enhancement.
Affiliation to Quality Assurance Bodies The FHEC is an associate member of the Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) whose internal practices are benchmarked against those of the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education’s (INQAAHE) Guidelines of Good Practice (GGP) and APQN criteria.
As part of quality development and ensuring continuous improvement in service delivery, the QA section is responsible for the Secretariat’s participation in the Service Excellence Award (SEA) and Fiji Business Excellence Awards (FBEA) initiative using the Malcolm Baldrige Framework.

PAGE PAGE 20 20 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N FHEC’s QA Process The FHEC strives to maintain a close and good relationship with HEIs.
It has continued to closely work with HEIs who require assistance to meet stipulated standards.

The Quality Assurance processes; External Evaluation and Review (EER) and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) are participatory and friendly approaches assisting the HEIs to improve quality academic outcomes and at the same time their process performance.
The FHEC has a given a QA process in place that is composed of both internal and external reviews as follows: Internal review • Internal Quality Assurance – Quarterly Review; • Self-Assessment Reports; and Compliance with • Terms of Reference - Promulgation; Policies Reviewed and submitted to the Commission.
External review • Strategic Framework for Change Coordinating Office (SFFCCO) - the FHEC presents evidences to the SFCCO committee which is responsible for the monitoring of performances of government agencies and links directly to the Prime Minister’s Office.

• Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) - the OPM requires the FHEC as a government agency to submit progressive reports and its findings and recommendations for improvements.
• Service Excellence Award (SEA) – the SEA conducts assessments on the FHEC’s processes for improvement, progress and innovations.

• Secretariat for the Pacific Board for Education and Qualification (SPBEQ) – the SPBEQ is responsible for establishing the Pacific Register for Qualifications and Standards (PRQS).
In order for the Fiji Qualifications Frame work to be recognised and accredited to the Pacific Qualifications Framework (PQF), the FHEC must be thoroughly assessed as an agency for categorising qualifications Quality Assurance Operations at FHEC Whilst the QA unit is a section within the FHEC structure, its QA upholding systems and standards measuring role cuts across the FHEC sections, sub sections, Commission, Commission Sub-Committees, HEIs and selected stakeholders to ensure that quality management and minimum standards are not compromised at any level of operation.
For this, it is evident in the FHEC structure that whilst all the other units, sections and committees are directly under the Commission, the QA unit runs parallel along the operation lines from the Commission to the line of individual staff level.

The QA unit also ensures that while the internal systems follow strict QA guidelines at the backhand of operations, the Commission must also be quality assured through external QA agencies.
For this, the QA unit ensures that a mandatory cyclical external review of the FHEC’s activities is carried out at least once every five years.

The APQN review in 2015 will assist in this area.


International Quality Management Training for the FHEC and Institution Heads The Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) provided technical expertise service (TES) in sending Mr Farrukh Idrees from the National University of Computer & Emerging Science (NUCES) - Pakistan, to conduct training on Quality Management practiced in NUCES, which is ranked 5th out of 128 universities in Pakistan.

The training workshop was conducted from April 08th to 16th.
The main objective of the training was to help address productivity – related issues.

Dr. Richard Wah, Executive Chairman of the Fiji Higher Education Commission inaugurated the training workshop.

About twenty (20) participants from the FHEC and academic institutions from across the country participated in the workshop.

Various models and mechanisms of quality management in the context of education management were discussed during the training sessions.
Participants at the FAST National University’s Quality Enhancement Cell International Workshop in the Republic of Fiji ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE PAGE 21 21 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Educating on the Potential Risk and Corruption in Higher Education The Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FICAC) is an anti-corruption agency that fights against corruption in the Public Sector of Fiji.
The FHEC had the privilege of gaining knowledge on the many obstacles businesses and organisations encounter because of poor decisions and lack of ethical values present.

The FICAC provided advice on ethical practices to assist the FHEC as a regulatory body for Higher Education Institutions.
Participants at the FICAC Workshop - Potential Risk and Corruption Assessed by the SEA National Evaluators is The government in the outputs and interested performance of all its government agencies especially in the areas of continuous improvement.

For this purpose, the government through the Public Service Commission (PSC) has adopted the international Malcolm Baldrige Excellence Framework and Criteria to assess the performance of all its government agencies.
The FHEC as a unit under the Ministry of Education, is required to be assessed together with the other units under the Ministry.

For the past 5 years, the FHEC has positively contributed to the Ministry’s performance achievement.
The FHEC actively participates in this performance assessment as the QA internal process is directly linked to the seven categories of the Malcolm Baldrige Framework, thus making the QA approach an integrative one whereby the Policy for QA for the FHEC is integrated with the criteria and expectations of the Malcolm Baldrige Framework.

With this approach, it has made it easier to develop a culture of QA that is both nationally and internationally benchmarked.
PAGE 22 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N STRATEGIC OUTCOME 2 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 23 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Strategic Outcome 2 Strategy Education and training that is internationally recognised.

Advance initiatives to grow international recognition of education and training in Fiji.
Professional Services The Professional Services unit is responsible for providing assistance to the Director of the Fiji Higher Education Commission to facilitate and manage the efficient operations of the FHEC.
These areas consist of the Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions programmes, the development and implementation of National Qualifications, the conducting of Audits, CBT Assessments, the Moderation of the National Standards and Qualifications, the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications and the monitoring of Higher Education Institutions and compliance at all levels.
2014 Recognition of Institutions In 2014, sixty eight (68) institutions were Recognised with twelve (12) to undergo the Recognition process.

Below is a list of higher education institutions at different stages of the recognition process with the FHEC.
New Qualifications Identified And Developed - National Certificate in Mining New Qualifications Identified And Developed - Basic Secuirty Operation PAGE 24 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Processed – Recognition Granted Higher Education Institution Academy of Kingdom Ambassadors Training Institute Advanced Aviation Training (Fiji) Limited Airports Fiji Limited Aviation Academy Apostolic College of Theological Studies Asia Pacific College Limited Australia Pacific Technical College Business and Language International College Caregivers Training Institute Caregivers Services International No 1.
2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development 11.

Chevalier Training Centre 12.

College of Theology and Evangelism Fiji 13.

Cooperative College of Fiji 14.

Corpus Christi Teachers College 15 Darul Uloom and Darul Yataam of The South Pacific 16.

Dateline Business College 17.

Davuilevu Theological College 18.

Delltech Institute of Computer Education 19.

Department of Forests 20.

Department of Youth and Sports 21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.


Family Support and Education Group Fiji Corrections Academy Fiji Electricity Authority Training Centre Fiji Muslim League Islamic Education Centre Fiji National University Fiji Police Academy Fishers of Men Training Institute Fulton College 29.

HIM Ministry Training Centre 30.

Harvest Vernacular Bible School 31.

32.

33.

34.


Institute of Computer Technology Integrated Information Services Limited Keshals Business Education Institute Light House Vocational Institute 35.

Marist Champagnat Institute 36.

Methodist Deaconess Training Centre 37.

Methodist Divisional Bible and Vocational Institution 38.

Methodist Lay Training Centre 39.

Montfort Boys’ Town 40.

OPS Pacific Ltd 41.

42.
Pacific Eye Institute Pacific Flying School Processed – Recognition Granted Higher Education Institution Pacific Regional Seminary Pacific Theological College Pacifika Institute of Tourism Studies Republic of Fiji Military Forces Resource Business Training Centre of the Pacific Sangam Institute of Technology Service Pro International Tourism & Hospitality Institute Small Hospitality Training Institute Social Leadership Training Institute South Pacific Academy of Beauty Therapy South Pacific Bible College St John the Baptist Theological College St Louise Development Centre The Master’s Use Baptist Institute The Pacific Institute of Technology The Style Gallery (Fiji) Institute of Hairdressing, Health & Beauty Therapy The University of Fiji The University of the South Pacific No 43.
44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

U-Tech Institute 62.

Universal Network of Infotech 63.

64.

Vishaninfotech Vivekananda Technical Centre 65.

Western Division Bible Academy 66.

Workbridge Fiji 67.

World Harvest Institute 68.


Youth With A Mission ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 25 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N In Process – With Recognition Committee Higher Education Institution Academy of Information Technology Appin Technology Institute Charisma University Fiji LDS Teacher Training Institute No 69 70.

71.

72.

73.

Mission Hill CISCO Network Academy 74.

Northern Christian Training Centre 75.


PSC Centre for Training & Workforce Development In Process – With Commission Staff for Preliminary Assessment No 76.

Higher Education Institution Black Meridian Watchers Academy 77.

Fiji Sugar Corporation Limited 78.

Mantra School of Beauty Therapy and Ayurveda Limited 79.

Nilsen College HEIs Recognition Status 2014 4% 6% 8% 82% 80.

South Pacific Missionary Training Centre Recognition Granted Processed – Recognition Declined No Higher Education Institution 81.
City Educational Institute 82.

Comp Tech Training Institute 83.

South Pacific Baptist College In Process - With Recognition Committe In Process - With Commission Staff for Preliminary Assessment Processed - Recognition Declined PAGE 26 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Registration Twenty three (23) HEIs were Registered with seven being conferred the Provisional Registered status.
Nineteen (19) HEI’s applications are in the process of being Registered; and is expected to be formalised by the Registration committee.

Below is a list of higher education institutions at different stages of the registration process with the Fiji Higher Education Commission.

A.3 No A.

Submitted - Processed Registration Declined Higher Education Institution 30.

U-Tech Institute 31.

Social Leadership Training Institute A.

Submitted - Processed B.


Submitted – In Process Registered B.1 With Registration Committee for Assessment Higher Education Institution No Higher Education Institution A.1 No 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Airports Fiji Limited Aviation Academy Apostolic College of Theological Studies Australia Pacific Technical College Caregivers Services Incorporated (Fiji) Limited Centre for Appropriate Technology and Develop- ment 6.

College of Theology and Evangelism Fiji 7.

Dateline Business College 8.

9.


Davuilevu Theological College Fulton College 10.

Keshals Business Education Institute 11.

Montfort Boys’ Town 12.

13.

14.

15 16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.


A.2 No Pacific Eye Institute Pacific Flying School Regional Seminary Pacific Pacific Theological College Sangam Institute of Technology Service Pro International Tourism & Hospitality Institute South Pacific Academy of Beauty Therapy South Pacific Bible College The Style Gallery (Fiji) Institute of Hairdressing, Health & Beauty Therapy The University of the South Pacific Vishaninfotech A.
Submitted - Processed Provisionally Registered Higher Education Institution 24.

University of Fiji 25.

Republic of Fiji Military Forces 26.

Pacifika Institute of Tourism Studies 27.

28.

Fiji National University Fiji Electricity Authority Training Centre 29. Business and Language International College 30 Workbridge Fiji 32.

St. John the Baptist Theological College 33.


OPS Pacific Ltd 34 Methodist Deaconess Training Centre 35 Marist Champagnat Institute 36 Fiji Corrections Service Academy 37 Department of Youth & Sports 38 Department of Forests 39 40 41 42 43 B.2 No Corpus Christi Teachers College Chevalier Training Centre Caregivers Training Institute Asia Pacific College Limited Advance Aviation Training (Fiji) Limited B.
Submitted – In Process With Commission Staff for Preliminary Assessment Higher Education Institution 44.

The Masters Use Baptist Institute 45 46 The Pacific Institute of Technology Universal Network of InfoTech 47 World Harvest Institute 48 49 No Youth With A Mission Fiji Darul Uloom and Darul Yataam of The South Pacific C. Withdrawn Higher Education Institution 50.
Institute of Computer Technology ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 27 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N HEIs Registration Status 2014 30% 28% 9% 33% Registered Provisional In the Process Registration Declined Programme Accreditation Twenty two (22) Programme evaluators were registered and participated in workshops and evaluation of programmes.

All evaluation reports were received for the fourteen (14) provider qualifications.
The fourteen (14) programmes at Levels 1 - 6 on the Fiji Qualifications Framework were from seven Higher Education Institutions.

The summary report of the evaluation was tabled to the Fiji Qualifications Council for approval, and these fourteen (14) programmes were accredited on the Fiji Qualifications Framework.
Pilot for National Qualifications institutions, Montfort Boys Town Two (MBT) and Vivekananda Technical Centre (VTC) adopted the National Qualifications and completed the 2 year pilot programme with the Competency-Based Assessment of the trainees by the external FHEC registered assessors.

The first cohort of trainees graduated from the institutions in December 2014; with fifteen (15) students from the VTC and thirty six (36) students from MBT.
PAGE 28 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Competency-Based Assessment and Moderation System Fiji Qualifications Framework The Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF) ensures that qualifications meet a minimum benchmark and are compatible with the knowledge and skills that are necessary for sustainable economic and social development.

This will be refined to include values, attributes and entrepreneurial skills.
Policy on the Registration of Qualifications on the FQF The Policy on the Registration of Qualifications on the Fiji Qualifications Framework applies to all qualifications awarded in Fiji, including those that are awarded from overseas institutions which have been quality assured and are internationally recognised.

This process is called the accreditation of the qualifications onto the FQF.

There are two categories of Qualifications: 1.

National Qualifications 2.


Provider Qualifications The assessment and moderation processes cover the back- end of the National Qualifications delivery process.

A number of assessment forms and new assessment templates were redeveloped by the FHEC to customize the process with a user friendly approach.
The external assessors were registered with the FHEC and assessor’s refresher training was conducted at the pilot centres; Montfort Boys Town (MBT) and Vivekananda Technical Centre (VTC) that had adopted the National Qualifications.

The training included the assessors, teachers and students of both institutions.

In order to facilitate this process, the Record of Learning (ROL) is a compulsory requirement under the National Qualifications implementation Standard Operating Procedures.
MoE/TVET – Update on Registration of Vocational Centres under the Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education (MoE) has taken steps toward the Recognition and Registration of the Vocational Centres in Fiji.

There are eighty three (83) Vocational schools to be grouped, upgraded and Registered with two Vocational Centres to undergo the Registration process.

The MoE’s update and decisions are as follows; 1.

The VTC completed the Recognition and Registration phase with the FHEC.

2.
2.

The MoE TVET is to determine the number of entities that can be developed, depending on TVET’s annual budget.

3.

The entities that require Registration do not require being from the same locality.

The MoE will identify the priority entities to undergo the upgrade and this may be selected from the assortment.

4.

Group Registration would reduce costs and documentation requirements.

Preparation for these centres began in December 2014.
ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 29 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N New Qualifications identified and developed Policy on the Registration of Qualifications on the FQF in 2013 and Two new qualifications were developed completed in 2014.

External consultations were conducted with respective key stakeholders before being tabled to the FQC, followed by the endorsement of the Commission.
The new qualifications developed were: The Policy on the Registration of Qualifications on the Fiji Qualifications Framework applies to all qualifications awarded in Fiji, including those that are awarded from overseas institutions which have been quality assured and are internationally recognised.

This process is called the accreditation of the qualifications onto the FQF.
• National Certificate in Mining (Level 1,2,3 and 4); and There are two categories of Qualifications: • Basic Security Operations ( Level 2) 1.

National Qualifications 2.

Provider Qualifications The registration and accreditation of qualification(s) is a benchmarking and a quality assurance process that is required before a qualification can be registered on the FQF.
New Qualifications are identified through consultation with the Ministry of National Strategic Planning, Ministry for Employment and other relevant industry stakeholders, institutions and professional bodies.

The qualifications for development are based on the needs of Fiji, the demand and the readiness for any higher education institution to deliver and the programmes when they are completed.
The new National Qualifications are taken through consultation with key stakeholders before they are tabled to the FQC and the Commission for final endorsement before they are registered on the ten (10) Level Fiji Qualifications Framework.
PAGE 30 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N STRATEGIC OUTCOME 3 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 31 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Strategic Outcome 3 Strategy An informed and progressive Fijian society Optimize participation in education and training.
Participants at the National Stakeholders meeting on OER Open Education Resource (OER) In April 2012, the Director of the FHEC attended a meeting on Open Education Resources (OER) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting was a Regional Policy Forum for Asia and the Pacific on Policies and Practices in OER.

On 27th October 2014, the Senior Management of the Ministry of Education endorsed in principle the draft national policy on OER.
With the assistance of Mr. Matai Tagicaki (Head of PEMAC – Laucala Bay Secondary School), the promotion of OER at the Ministry and teacher’s level, reached a new stage.

The Director and one of the Accreditation Officers of the FHEC attended a number of meetings, upon invitation by the USP, where experts in OER made presentations on the impact of OER in education and the variety of ways it can be used to promote and enhance learning and teaching.
At the same time, websites and links have been created for teachers to use upon accessing OER, which they can adapt or make changes to while complying with the open licensing requirements.

As of 19th August 2014, the latest development in the promotion of OERs is reflected in the table below.
The figures indicate the frequent views and usage by teachers that are accessing the OER tool: PAGE 32 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N In April 2012, the Director of the FHEC attended a meeting on Open Education Resources (OER) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting was a Regional Policy Forum for Asia and the Pacific on Policies and Practices in OER.
On 27th October 2014, the Senior Management of the Ministry of Education endorsed in principal the draft national policy on OER.

With the assistance of Mr. Matai Tagicaki (Head of PEMAC – Laucala Bay Secondary School), the promotion of OER at the Ministry and teacher’s level, reached a new stage.

were regarded as underperforming provinces.

The four provinces out of the six that were visited by the DMT include Bua, Kadavu, Namosi and Serua.
The FHEC also participated in the 2014 Ministry of Education (MoE) road show.

This was organised to bring the services of the Ministry to the doorsteps of the people, especially for those in remote areas.

The roadshow was completed in the Central, Western and Northern division.
Province visited in 2014 Provinces visited on the MoE Roadshow Faith – Based Organisations Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji Arya Samaj of Fiji Gujarat Education Society Fiji Muslim League Kadavu Ba Serua Cakaudrove Namosi Lomaiviti Macuata Ra Rewa Tailevu No OERs Development No.
of Views 1 Open Education PD Slide 2 Web based learning PD slide 3 4 Digital Learning in Fiji Teacher’s Guide 229 131 145 125 With the MoE’s endorsement, the draft for national policy has been submitted to the following Ministries for their comments: • Solicitor General’s Office • Ministry of Finance • Public Service Commission • Ministry of Public Enterprise • Ministry of Foreign Affairs A stakeholders meeting is scheduled for March 2015 where the opportunity will be given to stakeholders to view the draft and make amendments that can be tabled in the final draft.
FHEC Advocacy The Commission’s Dynamic Marketing Team (DMT) visited several places in 2014 to conduct advocacy on the Commission’s mandated functions, promote mutual collaboration on the up-taking of National Qualifications and provide guidance on possible career paths and options for post–secondary education.

The DMT liaised with the Provincial Offices in order to conduct meetings with senior officials and representatives in the respective education committees of the provinces.
The DMT had aimed to visit six provinces in 2014; namely Bua, Kadavu, Lau, Lomaiviti, Namosi and Serua.
These provinces, under the secondary school national examination analysis, ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 33 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Schools that organised special staff meetings with the FHEC DMT Commonwealth of Learning Courtesy Visit Ratu Latianara Secondary School Namosi Secondary School Nilsen High School Bua College Naikavaki Secondary School Lekutu Secondary School Immaculate Conception College The FHEC was invited to conducted advocacy at the following school’s education fair Yat Sen Secondary School Namosi Secondary School The Commonwealth of Learning [COL] President, Professor Asha Kanwar paid a courtesy visit to the Fiji Higher Education Commission.
The main purpose of the visit was to discuss collaboration opportunities between the FHEC and the COL.

The COL is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.
The COL aims to help developing nations improve access to quality education and training, and it also intends to share its publication resources and create network linkages between the FHEC and the COL team in Vancouver, Canada.
PAGE 34 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N STRATEGIC OUTCOME 4 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 35 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Strategic Outcome 4 Sustained economic growth supported by key capability development Strategy Ensure that education and training builds competitive advantage in areas of economic importance for Fiji.
Registry | FQC | CAUQ | FHEC Commission Board Providing high-end administrative and secretarial support to the FHEC, FQC, CAUQ and other committees of the FHEC, the registry has enhanced the accessibility and visibility of its services and processes.
In 2014, the meetings below were conducted by the respective FHEC committees to discuss and make decisions on pertinent issues related to the higher education sector: FHEC Committees Meetings Conducted in 2014 The Commission Board 8 Meetings 2 Special Meetings Fiji Qualifications Council 8 Meetings Recognition Committee 5 Meetings Registration Committee 14 meetings 2 Special meetings for Committee the Accreditation of University Qualifications (CAUQ) 3 Meetings 2 Workshops ISAC members for Basic Security Operation Programme anf FHEC Staff Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications (CAUQ) at USP PAGE 36 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications (CAUQ) Complaints Management Under its second mandated function, the Commission is committed to fostering and safeguarding the national interest, the interest of students and parents and also of local higher education providers.
To achieve this, the FHEC has established a compliance system to address complaints from stakeholders and promote compliance with regulations and policies.

The Commission has two personnel who are responsible for receiving and addressing complaints.

Upon receiving a complaint, the details of the complaints are recorded.

A letter of acknowledgement is written to the complainant to acknowledge receipt of the complainant’s complain.
The FHEC then contacts the institution concerned, requesting an explanation on the issue(s) raised.

The institution is given 14 days to respond to the FHEC with its explanation regarding the complaint.

Upon receiving the feedback from the institution concerned, an assessment is made of the situation by the Secretariat and a letter is written to the complainant reflecting the explanation given by the institution concerned.
For the year 2014, the CAUQ conducted three meetings and two workshops for the FHEC.

The first workshop “Academic Evaluators Workshop” was conducted in September which involved the training of evaluators from the three universities.

This workshop enabled them to prepare for any new programmes that seek approval from the CAUQ for 2015.

The second workshop was conducted in November with the title “Industry Evaluators Workshop”.
The objective of the workshops was to educate participants about the processes of the CAUQ and to provide training on evaluating programmes using the criteria established by the committee.

in 2014 highlighted The concluding CAUQ meeting certain amendments to the CAUQ TOR and feedback from the workshop.

Also, it was agreed that the CAUQ would appoint sub-committees to evaluate new programmes and that each sub-committee would comprise of only four members.
To date, the Committee has been able to train 27 academic evaluators and 20 industry evaluators.

The training of potential evaluators was to be conducted through the processes established by the Committee.

Overall, the FHEC has achieved a step closer to implementing the practices of its mandated functions: a) Establishing National standards for different qualifications; and b) Providing assurances that the programmes developed by the institutions meet national standards.
ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 37 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N PAGE 38 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N STRATEGIC OUTCOME 5 ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 39 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Strategic Outcome 5 An education and training culture based on continuous improvement.
Strategy Encourage innovation, research, and continuous development to improve performance and create new opportunities for education and training Organisational Development and Capacity Building Asia – Pacific Quality Network 2014 Conference – Vietnam, 7th – 8th March, 2014 The Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Conference and Annual General Meeting 2014 was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in which the FHEC was represented by the senior quality assurance officer, Mrs. Sereseini Vuki.
The theme for the meet was “Higher Education Quality Assurance in a Changing World: Envisioning the Future of Asia Pacific”.

The conference provided a platform for information sharing as well as an opportunity to self-assess the higher education in Fiji to determine its strengths and weaknesses, and more importantly learning practical and relevant methods from QA agencies in approaching new developments towards globalization and internationalization to ensure a more sustainable method of managing QA.
The conference was an opportunity to view the QA activities development, both from the higher education perspective as well as from the QA agency perspective.

Setting academic standards by HEIs is a balancing act and must involve all relevant stakeholders such as HEIs as training providers, the External Quality Assurance (EQA), the professional organisations as well as the Qualification Framework, a tool used by the government.
PAGE 40 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N INQAAHE Forum – Estonia, Tallinn, 26th– 28th May 2014 The Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) became a member of the INQAAHE in 2011.

The network meets every two years in Forums to discuss important issues pertaining to quality assurance in higher education.
The FHEC’s representation to the forum was Accreditation Officer, Mrs. Amelia Siga which provided professional interest to QA development on relevant topics of organisations, and networking with other international agencies based on the theme “Partnerships in Quality Assurance in Higher Education”.

The theme of the forum highlighted the importance of partnerships in higher education regarding QA.
The theme called for fostering better partnerships with stakeholders involved in higher education, to achieve better standards and meet market demands.
Below are recommendations resulting from the INQAAHE Forum 2014 for the Fiji Higher Education Commission: • Have Alliances with other QA agencies • Have Capacity Building sessions to prepare for QA • Academic partnership to be established or improved • Monitoring of our HEIs and preparing comprehensive reports of our HEIs during period of accreditation of institution; HEIs to publish our reports • Familiarise with databases of consultants for external perspectives • Familiarise with the GGP and use it as our guide • Conduct research on EQA activities of QAAs within different national contexts • Ensure more flexibility and transparency of national regulations for the work of foreign QAAs • Review Pacific frameworks and closely collaborate with other regional QAAs to work towards mutual recognition 13th Session of the Regional Committee on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 4 - 5 August The meet was attended by about 115 participants from Asia and the Pacific.
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, Bangkok and the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka with support from the Department of Education of Australia co-hosted the two-day event.

The main focus of the Session pertained to international academic recognition and quality assurance.
The dele- gates discussed the importance of promoting cross-border mobility of students, the need for the processes of evaluating foreign credentials with fairness and the application of the same throughout the region, as well as the hardships each representative country had encountered since the ratification of the 2011 Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (2011 Revised Convention).
In conjunction with the aforementioned, the regional workshop on Quality Assurance in Higher Education had also taken place.

The meet also provided updates on the current developments of ICT, especially national information centre databases (NICs).

In order to achieve the recommendations resulting from the meet.

The FHEC requires the full support of the Fiji government, especially the Ministry of Education through the signing and ratification of the ‘2011 Revised Convention’.
The FHEC Secretariat, in its attempt to contribute to the improvement of Quality Assurance processes in Higher Education in Fiji, must fully utilize the opportunities afforded by the APQN, INQAAHE, UNESCO Bangkok, and any similar networks or agencies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Quality Assurance Internship Programme, Malaysia, 3rd – 7th November An Internship Programme was organised by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA).

This was from the 03/11/2014 – 07/11/2014.


There were seven (7) participants in total, three (3) from the Ethiopian National Qualifications Directorate, one (1) from Centre for Quality Assurance & Accreditation of Educational Institutes in Libya and the three (3) Fiji participants.

The five-day programme displayed the quality assurance system practiced within the MQA through briefings, discussions and presentations.
This allowed the participants to see the quality assurance system in action through institutional visits for Programme Accreditation to two (2) local higher education institutions, Multimedia University and Taylor’s University.

The internship programme was very useful in terms of enhancing the FHEC’s staff knowledge on quality assurance of higher education as well as sharing of good practices Quality Assuarance Intenship Programme, Malaysia.
ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 41 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N on the quality assurance system in Ethiopia, Libya, Fiji and Malaysia.
Regional Dialogue on ICTD Capacity Building for Sustainable Development and Annual Partner Meetings for the Academy and Primer Programme, Korea, 24th November – 1st December The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT) conducted their Regional Dialogue on ICTD Capacity Building for Sustainable Development and Annual Partners Meeting in Incheon, Korea on the 25th -28th November 2014.
The FHEC’s Executive Chairman, Dr. Richard Wah represented Fiji at the dialogue where he was joined by over 60 participants from 25 countries from Asia and the Pacific.

The Meeting was well-attended by representatives from various stakeholders Institution representatives, Government agencies, civil society, private sector, international organisations and experts in the field of ICT and capacity development.
including the Academic The dialogue was sponsored by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has laid the foundation on achieving the outcomes below: • Examine the status of capacity building in the use of • ICT for development (ICTD); Identify the steps to align ICTD human capacity development work to the evolving sustainable development agenda; • Share lessons learned and good practices from current ICTD human capacity building initiatives; • Analyze the implications that the changing ICT landscape in the region has for ICTD capacity building; • Discuss ways to design regional and national ICTD human capacity building initiatives to support the emerging sustainable development agenda; • Provide feedback on how to strengthen and expand APCICT’s flagship ICTD capacity building programmes.
The Executive Chairman had shared the importance of Capacity Building for Sustainable Development and the way forward for the Commission with regard to the outcomes of the forum.

PAGE 42 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT Regional Dialogue on ICTD Capacity Building for Sustainable Development and Annual Partner Meetings.

Finance and Research The Finance and Research section administers the funding model for the financing of institutions in Fiji’s higher education sector.
Underlying this broad function, the need was established to facilitate all higher educational data collection and analysis including any other research deemed important to Fiji’s HE sector.

Funding Model Through the funding model, the Commission fulfills its statutory obligation to “allocate government funds marked for higher education annually to higher education institutions according to a transparent and well-publicized criteria for allocation” (Higher Education Promulgation 24 of 2008).
The implementation of the funding model is the first attempt to bring some equity in the allocation of Government funds to the Higher Education Institutions.

More specifically, it is the first step towards attempting to level the playing field amongst the Higher Education Institutions operating in Fiji to ensure that all Fijians have equitable access to quality higher education.
Funding is granted to eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on a three-year rolling cycle, with the first year guaranteed and the following two years approved on an indicative basis subject to review through an annual strategic planning process.

Universities and any other HEIs with a major commitment to degrees are subjected to a modified system which provides a greater level certainty to the second and third years of funding.
Under this model, the following Higher Education Institutions were supported with the operational funding for the year 2014 Operating Grant Allocation - Approved by Government 38,587,000 36,597,202 755,000 150,000 275,000 400,000 300,000 150,000 50,000 3,530,000 Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development Vivekanada Technical College Sangam Institute of Technology Fiji National University The University of the South Pacific Monfort Boys Town - Veisari Monfort Technical Institute - Savusavu The University of Fiji Corpus Christi Teachers College Fulton College 45,000,000 40,000,000 35,000,000 30,000,000 25,000,000 20,000,000 15,000,000 10,000,000 5,000,000 The progressive implementation of strategic developments to the funding system would enhance the linkages between licensing industries, professional associations, HEIs and bodies and relevant Government Ministries, to ensure that programmes offered are of the required standards, demand driven and relevant for the economic development of Fiji.
ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 43 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Operating Grants Nine institutions were provided with funding for their operational grants for the year 2014, as stipulated by the MoE grants directive for schools.
Institution Why the HEI was Considered Percentage of ALL Fijians studying at the HEI Approved Funding Amount ($FJD) Centre for Appropriate Tech- nology & Development Not registered but previously funded Corpus Christi Teachers’ College Fiji National University Fulton College Montfort Boys’ Town (Vei- sari) & Montfort Technical Institute (Savusavu) Not registered but previously funded Not registered but previously funded Fulfilled all criteria under funding model Fulfilled all criteria under funding model Sangam Institute of Technol- ogy Fulfilled all criteria under funding model The University of Fiji Not registered but previously funded The University of the South Pacific Fulfilled all criteria under funding model Vivekananda Technical Centre Fulfilled all criteria under funding model TOTAL 0.25 0.97 54.67 0.82 1.13 1.29 5.89 32.5 0.92 98.44 755,000 150,000 38,587,000 50,000 700,000 275,000 3,530,000 36,600,001 150,000 80,797,001 Eligible HEIs Loans Schemes Allocated amounts ($FJD) Centre for Appropriate Technology & Development; Corpus Christi; Fiji National University; Fulton College; Montfort Boys’ Town (Veisari); Montfort Technical Institute (Savusavu); Sangam Institute of Technology; The University of Fiji; and the University of the South Pacific New TELS and Toppers 30,000,000 COLA On-going TELS On-going Scholarships Support 10,000,000 12,000,000 26,000,000 TOTAL 78,000,000 Following the institutional visits from the 7th – 30th October, the Finance and Research section were able to draft the proposal for funding, as well as the concerns and recommendations from the HEIs.
The paper had been presented to the Minister for Education by the Executive Chairman.

The paper sought endorsement of the implementation of the funding model for eligible HEIs for the following year.
The need for additional resources for the FHEC Secretariat to cater for the increased workloads, the modification of the Tertiary Scholarships and Loan Decree 2014 to include all HEIs that have obtained full registration, the emphasis on TVET programmes and the available funding for the same, and the detailed categorization of the provision of resources to HEIs to eliminate non-priority areas for education and development.
The FHEC made the following recommendations to Cabinet: • To increase the amount of allocated funds to $3.8 million FJD; • To direct the FNPF board to provide fairer access to data regarding educational assistance for fully registered HEIs; • To direct the list of eligible HEIs for TOPPERS and TELS to include the FHEC in consultations; PAGE 44 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N • To direct that only programmes accredited on the Fiji Qualifications Framework be eligible for funding; • To direct the FNU to minimize expansion into new areas, and focus efforts into consolidating programmes to improve quality education; and • To endorse, subject to approval by the Solicitor- General’s Office, that existing agreements for government funding between the Government and eligible HEIs be set aside, and the proposed funding model be used for the allocation of funds across HEIs.
Research 2014 Basic findings from the research carried out by the Finance & Research section noted that there was a gap between what industry wanted and what the HEIs had equipped their students with.

More and more employers want graduates with hands-on expertise but this is difficult to deliver from the perspective of HEIs.

The research initiative of collecting employment data was undertaken to contribute to the strategic objectives of the Commission.
The research has been aligned to the outputs and objectives of the Annual Business Plan, particularly “That education and training builds competitive advantage in areas of economic importance for Fiji is ensured - To better align qualifications development to skills”.

Employment research was initiated to determine the different skills demand in the job market, with the aim to gather evidences of what type of skills are in demand and the later to be aligned to qualification development.
The employment research has two main objectives, which were to collect data on the job market in the country and to identify areas where qualifications required development to address the demands of the job market.

The research is expected to provide an overview of the employment demands in the various industries and assist in building a platform on how to align the employment demands of the market to the qualification developments of the Higher Education Sector.
For the unemployed, data has been collected through the National Employment Centre who registers graduates on a regular basis.
s e t a u d a r G f o r e b m u N 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Status of Graduates in the Market 34,174 31, 478 Registered Employed Registered Gap ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 45 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Number of People Registered with NEC for the the Past Four Years 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 - 13,283 9,549 6,225 3,696 2010 2011 2012 2013 The graph indicates the number of people registered with NEC on an annual basis from 2010 to 2013.
Registration with NEC peaked in 2011 (13,283) but since then has declined to less than half (6,225).

While this may indicate more people are being employed, there still is quite a real number of people unemployed.

FHEC is committed to the fact that Fiji’s education and career pathways need to be more inclusive of realistic economic self-sufficiency skills (entrepreneurial skills) so that people have informed and better options in both the formal and informal employment sectors.
Number of Vacancies by Sector Recorded in the period March to May 2014 Professional Services 25 Construction, Airconditiong & Architecture 48 Tourism & Hospitality Transportation 35 23 Construction, Airconditiong & Architecture Automotive, Mechinical & Engineering ICT Banking & Finance Manufacturing & Industrial HR, marketing, & Admin 48 41 34 30 52 133 Others 38 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 The primary source of the data has been the Fiji Times Online Classified Archives under the Situation Vacant category.
A subsidiary source of data has been the PSC Circular on Government vacancies.

had the most vacancies by far whereas vacancies in the transportation sector where the least for the given period thus highlighting the growing demand of white collar occupations.

Vacancies from different sectors have been grouped together for simpler clustering.
The graph highlights that the human resources, administrative and marketing sector This revelation is critical for FHEC’s consideration as Government is assertive that Fiji needs a committed drive in the technical and vocational sectors.

This is to balance PAGE 46 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N up its key areas necessary to assist, drive and sustain economic growth.
Research Report on Graduate Employability Skills Needed by Employers in Fiji (2014) The Finance and Research section had conducted a number of researches in 2014, one of which was based on Gradu- ate Employability Skills.

The intention was to find out em- ployers’ perceptions of graduate qualities and skills.

The USP Student Expo provided the opportunity for the Secretariat to gauge the general public’s opinion, specifically employers.
Questionnaires were given to the individuals, and as such, were based on graduate skills and qualities.

The qualities and skills required of graduates were ranked in order of impor- tance from one to ten (1= most important, 10 = least im- portant).

The survey responses, indicated that employers regarded inter-personal communication skills as being the most important quality that graduates should possess, followed by logic and technical skills.
Furthermore, it was noted that passion for work, academic results and the ability to work in a team were valuable assets.

Also, work experience, cultural alignment, emotional intelligence and leadership skills regis- tered on the spectrum.

The last category of importance was the activities that graduates were required to perform or un- dertake.

(Figure 1).

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 k n a R Employers required graduates to have additional skills, i.e.
soft skills in order to be recruited by their respective organisations.

These skills were honesty, customer service, time management, commercially-minded, able to handle stress and work in high-pressure work environments, understanding of sea conditions/environment, language skills, safety awareness, attention to detail, work ethics, willingness to learn and adopt, creativity, and writing concept ideas.
Interpersonal Communications Skills Passion Logic & Technical Skills Academic Results Work Experience Cultural Allignment / Values fit Emotional Intelligence Teamwork Skills Activities Leadership Skills Qualities and Skills Average Median Mode Figure 1.

Average, Median and Mode of Graduate Qualities and Skills ANNUAL REPORT-FHEC PAGE 47 F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N Research on Comparative Analysis of Quality of Nursing Graduates in Fiji.
The purpose of this research was to compare the quality of nursing graduates between the two nursing education providers in Fiji, and to determine the factors affecting the quality of the nursing graduates.

The study collected qualitative data which based on semi-structured questionnaires with seventeen (17) registered nurses, fifteen (15) supervisors and eighteen (18) patients.

The registered nurses were first year interns.


The questionnaire responses were recorded, transcribed and analysed using the grounded theory approach, which then identified many patterns.

Certain features such as competencies were studied in order to measure the concept of quality.

With anticipation, the study would create awareness on the need for training providers to provide training that is inclusive of relevant personal traits that will allow for a ‘complete’ graduate.
From the survey, it was found that students had very limited practical hours and mostly a classroom based approach was used.

A lack of appropriate resources was also a major challenge for the students.

For quality nursing care, it was identified that a lack of supervisors in or the intern to supervisor ratio was minimal, something that should help improve the learning outcomes.
Key competencies that were pointed out to be part of the nursing development of practioners included: integrity, honesty and self-discipline, accepts responsibility for errors and communicate these to the appropriate person in a timely manner and shows commitment to developing own knowledge, skill and practice.

Also, as a critical recommendation would be to include clinical lecturers as part of the pupils’ assessment and evaluation.
Perhaps more workshops to be organized for nurses in order to boost their quality; and it is important to consider the nurse to patient ratio for maximum quality care.
PAGE 48 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL STATEMENT F I J I H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N C O M M I S S I O N FIJI HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION Level 1 | Fiji Red Cross Building | 22 Gorrie Street | Suva P.O Box 2583 Government Buildings | Suva Phone: (+679) 3100031 | (+679) 3100032 Mobile: (+679) 8358165 Website: www.fhec.org.fj Email: fhec@fhec.org.fj PAGE 26 FHEC-ANNUAL REPORT