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FIJI HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION ANNUAL R E P O R T 2 0 1 5 Report of the Fiji Higher Education Commission for the year ended 31st December 2015 to the Hon.

Minister for Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy, in accordance with section 49 of the Higher Education Promulgation 2008.
Presented by Salote Rabuka Director Fiji Higher Education Commission 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 Website: www.fhec.org.fj Email: fhec@fhec.org.fj The 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; 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; and 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.
Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 I The Commission’s Vision, Mission, Philosophy & Values Vision To build together an educated and globally competetive Fiji Mission To quality assure the delvery of higher education that meets the needs of our stakeholders 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 opportuni- ties for learners to realise their potentials so they can become productive and competitive in the work- place, constructive in the community, creative in their endeavours and peaceable.
Values In fulfilling its mission, the Commission is committed to act in ways that are consistent with the value it places on: • Aligning with national and international imperatives in higher education; • Quality education and training to develop quality graduates; • Equity, access and relevance in higher education; • Critical thinking, creativity and free intellectual inquiry; • Lifelong learning; • Cooperation and partnerships with industry and professional bodies; and • Transparency, accountability and responsiveness.
II Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Contents 1 ACRONYMS 2 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN 3 OVERVIEW BY THE DIRECTOR 4 5 5 THE COMMISSION 2015 THE FIJI QUALIFICATIONS COUNCIL 2015 RECOGNITION AND REGISTRATION COMMITTEES COMMITTEE FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF UNIVERSITY QUALIFICATIONS (CAUQ) INDUSTRY STANDARDS ADVISORY COMMITTEES (ISACS) THE FIJI HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 2015 THE FHEC TEAMS STATEMENT OF SERVICE PERFORMANCE BETTER ECONOMIC OUTCOMES 10 FHEC STRATEGIC PLAN 2016 - 2020 •STRATEGIC OUTCOME 1 - QUALITY, RELEVANCE AND CONSISTENCY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROVISION ACROSS THE NATION IS ASSURED •STRATEGY - IMPLEMENT THE FQF AND QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM AND ENSURE THEIR CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT 11 ASIA – PACIFIC QUALITY REGISTER REVIEW 11 COMPARING FHEC’S QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS AGAINST THE PACIFIC QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK 11 2015 RECOGNITION OF HIGH EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS 13 2015 REGISTRATION OF HIGH EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS 13 COMPLIANCE 13 MANDATED REVIEW 14 RECORD OF LEARNING 15 TECHINICAL COLLEGE OF FIJI 15 COMMITTEE FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF UNIVERSITY QUALIFICATIONS (CAUQ) 16 FIJI QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK •STRATEGIC OUTCOME 2 - EDUCATION AND TRAINING THAT IS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED.
•STRATEGY - ADVANCE INITIATIVES TO GROW INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN FIJI.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2015 18 ASIA-PACIFIC QUALITY NETWORK (APQN) CONFERENCE 2015 18 18 NEW ZEALAND STUDY TOUR 19 19 MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE FUNDING (MFAT) FUNDING (JUNE – DECEMBER 2015) 20 THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TRADE ADVISER (OCTA) - WORKSHOP ON MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS.
PACIFIC TERTIARY EDUCATION FORUM 2015 •STRATEGIC OUTCOME 3 - AN INFORMED AND PROGRESSIVE FIJIAN SOCIETY.

•STRATEGY - OPTIMISE PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
22 DATA TRENDS 23 OPERATING GRANTS 2015 24 CAPITAL GRANT - FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY LABASA CAMPUS 24 OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) FOR A SMARTER FIJI 24 HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY: 2016 - 2020 24 HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY ADVOCACY 24 GRADUATE SKILLS RESEARCH REPORT FINDINGS Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 III Contents •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.

INDUSTRY ACADEMIA COLLABORATION MEETING 26 26 MINI-INDUSTRY ACADEMIA COLLABORATION MEETING (TOURISM SECTOR) •STRATEGIC OUTCOME 5 - AN EDUCATION AND TRAINING CULTURE BASED ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.

•STRATEGY - INNOVATION, RESEARCH AND CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING IS ENCOURAGED.
FUNDING MODEL 2015 28 28 MINISTERIAL VISITATION FROM THE SOLOMON ISLANDS FINANCIAL STATEMENT - 2015 30 32 33 35 36 37 38 39 COMMISSIONERS’ REPORT STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONERS INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS NOTES ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Acronyms ABP ACBSF AGM APQN ANZ AUT CATD CAUQ CBA CBT CCTC CEO CIL COL CTC DMT EER ENIC EQA EU FBEA FCEF - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - – – - - - – - – FHEC - FNPF - FNU - FQC – FQF - GCT - GGP - HEIs – HES HR - INQAAHE - IPENZ IQA ISAC IT ITO MBT MCI MFAT MoA MoE MoL MoU - - – - - – - - - - – – Annual Business Plan Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs Annual General Meeting Asia-Pacific Quality Network Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited Auckland University of Technology Centre for Appropriate Technology & Development Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications Competency-Based Assessment Competency-Based Training Corpus Christi Teachers’ College Chief Executive Officer Competency International Limited Commonwealth Of Learning Chevalier Training Centre Dynamic Marketing Team External Evaluation & Review European Network of Information Centers External Quality Assurance European Union Fiji Business Excellence Awards Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Fiji Higher Education Commission Fiji National Provident Fund Fiji National University Fiji Qualifications Council Fiji Qualifications Framework Governance Corporate & Technological Guidelines of Good Practices Higher Education Institutions Higher Education Strategy Human Resources International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand Internal Quality Assurance Industry Standard Advisory Committee Information Technology Industry Training Oraganisation Montfort Boys’ Town Marist Champagnat Institute Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, New Zealand Memorandum of Agreement Ministry of Education Ministry
 of Labour Memorandum of Understanding MoYS MQA NARIC NEC NQ NQD NQI NUCES - – - - - - - – - NZQA – ONAWE OER – PACER Plus - PINZ PITS PQF PRQS PS PSC PSET PSM Q & R QA QMS RoL RPL SEA SFCCO SG SOP SPBEA - - – - - - - - - - - - - – – - - - SPBEQ – TEC TEST ToR TPAF TSLB TVET - - - - - - UN-APCICT – UNESCO - VTC - Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysian Qualification Agency National Academic Recognition Information Centers National Employment Centre National Qualification National Qualification Development National Qualification Implementation National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences New Zealand Qualifications Authority Online Assessment With Evidence Open Education Resources Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Polytechnics International New Zealand Pacifika Institute of Tourism Studies Pacific Qualifications Framework Pacific Register for Qualifications and Standards 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 Service Excellence Award Strategic Framework for Change Coordinating Office Solicitor-General Standard Operating Procedure Secretariat of the Pacific Board for Educational Assessment Secretariat for the Pacific Board for Education and Qualifications Tertiary Education Commission Technical Employment Skills Training Terms of Reference Training Productivity Authority of Fiji Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board Technical Vocational Education and Training The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Vivekananda Technical Centre Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 1 Message from the EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON 2 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Overview
 by the DIRECTOR The year 2015 marked the end of the first strategic development plan (SDP) and the development of a new strategic plan for the following 5 years.
The implied transition meant much planning and consultation with relevant to ensure effective stakeholders collaboration that would result in intended outcomes.

The new SDP reflected the Fiji National Development Plan and the Tertiary Education Strategy 2016 – 2020 which was also developed during the year to provide an overarching framework of development in the higher education sector.

The major achievements during the year were consistent with the major outcomes in the 2012 – 2015 SDP.
These were in the pursuit of quality and relevance through the accreditation of institutions and their programmes and the promotion of quality assurance in general within institutions and at the level of the Commission’s secretariat.

in the resulted recognition This and registration of institutions and the accreditation of programmes across all the levels (1-10) of the Fiji Qualifications Framework.
Notable in the latter was the adoption, for the first time, of the CAUQ’s (Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications) programme approval approach for programmes in levels 7 – 10.

While the process was considered a success, the CAUQ found it appropriate to explore other approaches that may achieve its purposes faster than that which had been adopted.

Also a significant achievement in this regard was the review of the Commission by the Asia-Pacific Quality Register Review Team.
This resulted in a “Substantial Compliance” rating which granted the Commission registration in the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Register.

This achievement was a boost to the demanding preparatory work undertaken during the year for the May 2016 back-to-back conferences of 2 international quality assurance networks to be hosted by Fiji through the Commission.

The networks are the INQAAHE (International Net- work of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) and the APQN.
Meanwhile, the Commission recognised the efforts of a number of institutions during the year to quality assure their own programmes and processes by recognised external quality agencies.

In this regard, the newly established Technical College of Fiji worked closely with the Commission in the quality assurance of its programmes and their delivery and assessments.
the pursuit of In international recognition of education and training and in support of the government’s goal of an informed and progressive Fijian society, several activities were undertaken to acquaint the staff with relevant experiences and processes in advanced systems.

These were mainly in the form of study tours and conference attendances outside of Fiji.

Of particular significance here was the work undertaken on Open Educational Resources (OER) which resulted in a National Policy on OER.
The policy, which is now effective, was the outcome of a national consultation in March and it was later endorsed by the Hon.

Minister for Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy.

The Commission’s commitment to work closely with higher education stakeholders and industry in particular was demonstrated in a number of joint meetings to address issues relating to higher education and training and their role in economic growth and sustainability.
While the achievements of the year were not without their challenges, they were significant enough to mark continuous improvement and progress in the achievement of the Commission’s mandated functions.
S. Rabuka Director Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 3 The Commission 2015 Since the Education Act in Fiji did not cover Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the government established the Higher Education Advisory Board (HEAB) to make significant recommendations to the Minister for Education on aspects pertaining to higher education in an effort to determine a suitable legislative framework for the sector.
The HEAB comprised of a Chairperson and six members from various professional and educational background who were responsible for preparing and finalising the proposed Higher Education Promulgation, including the establishment of the Fiji Higher Education Commission.

The Higher Education Promulgation 2008 was gazetted on 14th October 2008.

The Fiji Higher Education Commission began operations on 1st January 2010 following the commencement of the Higher Education Promulgation 2008.
The Commission is a statutory body that reports directly to the Minister for Education and is responsible for regulating the establishment, recognition, operation and standard of higher education institutions.

These responsibilities are contained in each of the Commission’s eleven mandated functions.
Richard Wah (PhD) Executive Chairman Savenaca Madanavosa FQC Chairperson John Fatiaki Arun Narsey Emi Rabukawaqa Consultant Physician Chartered Accountant Former Permanent Secretary for Education 4 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 The Fiji Qualifications Council 2015 The Fiji Qualifications Council is a committee of the FHEC, whose primary role is to administer the functions relating to the Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF) such that the FQF stands as a beacon and reference for socio-economic planning.
The Council is governed by the Qualifications Regulations 2010.

It has six members including a Chairperson.

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

1.

Savenaca Madanavosa - Chairperson 2.

Salote Rabuka - Director FHEC 3.

Humphrey Chan - Managing Director, Wing Lee Motors 4.
Raymond Nicholls - Company Manager/Director Integrated Welding Industries 5.

Meli Nacuva - Pilot Project Manger Connexional Plan Methodist Church 6.

Neeraj Kumar - Senior Mechanical Engineer, Ministry of Labour Recognition and Registration Committees Applications by institutions for recognition by and registration with the Commission are thoroughly assessed and scrutinised by the members of the Recognition and Registration Committees, respectively.
The Committees then make recommendations accordingly to the Commission.

Recognition Committee Registration Committee 1.

Etuate Koroi - Chairperson 2.

Rigieta Nadakuitavuki 3.

Vikram Deo 1.

Dr Robin Taylor - Chairperson 2.

Salote Dugu 3.

Josefa Matau 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 Com- mission.
It comprises of the Vice-Chancellors of the University of the South Pacific, Fiji National University and the University of Fiji and an independent chairman, Dr. John Harré of New Zealand.

The universities are established by individual statutes, which to varying degree empowers them to approve their own qualifications.

However, this authority in the universities was not con- sistent with the statutory responsibilities of the Fiji Higher Education Commission in respect of approving qualifications.
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.

This involved the formation of the CAUQ.

1.

Dr John Harré - Independent Chairperson 2.

Prof Chandra Dulare - Acting Vice-Chancellor (The University of Fiji) 3.

Prof Ian Rouse - Acting Vice-Chancellor (Fiji National University) 4.
Prof Rajesh Chandra - Vice-Chancellor (The University of the South Pacific) Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 5 Industry Standards Advisory Committees (ISACs) Background The ISACs (Industry Standards Advisory Committees) support the FHEC’s commitment by engaging with the industry stakeholders and relevant institutions for the development of unit standards, workplace manuals, assessor guides and qualifications documents in Fiji.
The ISACs ensure that national qualifications developed and delivered by education providers in Fiji are aligned to the needs of the industries and benchmarked to other recognised national and international qualifications frameworks.
6 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 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 ( i l & ) 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 o P ) y t i u q E ( 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 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 s n o i t c e s l l a n i t r o p p u s ’ * Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 7 The FHEC Teams Executive Office
 Professional Services The Executive Office (EO) provides strategic and operational leadership which ensures the proper administration and management of the functions and affairs of the Commission in accordance with the Commission’s governing legislations and policies.
The EO was formed in mid-2015 which saw the combination of the registry, communications and strategic planning activities.

The current EO oversees strategic planning & conferences, finance, human resources, registry, communications; all of which are responsible to the Director of the FHEC.

Quality Assurance Primarily responsible for quality assurance matters in FHEC as an agency (internal) and Higher Education Institutes (HEI) (external) in Fiji.
The quality assurance processes is evidence based approach that ensures goals are being achieved and that policies and practices are under on-going review as part of an overall continuous improvement and quality enhance- ment.

The FHEC is a member of APQN and internal practices are benchmarked to the INQAAHE GGP and APQN criteria.
As part of quality development and ensure continuous improve- ment in service delivery, this section is also responsible for SEA and FBEA initiative using Malcolm Baldrige Framework.
Responsible for providing assistance to the Director Fiji Higher Education Commission to facilitate and manage the efficient operation of the FHEC in the areas of the accreditation of higher education institutions programmes, the development and implementation of national qualifications, conduct of Au- dit/CBT assessment/moderation of national standards and qualifications, the recognition of foreign qualifications and monitoring of higher education institutions and compliance at all levels.
Finance and Research The Finance and Research section was setup for the purpose of establishing and administering the funding model for the financing of institutions in Fiji’s higher education sector.

Un- derlying this broad function, was the need to establish the section to be the hub and facilitator of all higher educational data collection and analysis including any other research deemed important to Fiji’s HE sector.
Corporate Services The Corporate Services section ensures that the Secretariat is adequately resourced at all times.

They facilitate the ad- ministrative operations (HR and Financial) that support other sections with budget planning and an IT team that helps de- velop its own capabilities to be able to manage the Higher Education Sector.
8 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Statement of Service Performance 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 HEIs and the programmes that they offer.
At the same time, it promotes the development of the sector as a whole through processes that foster collaboration, quality assurance and in- ternational recognition.
and sustainable development through: • Quality academic and cooperate governance; • National Standards and Qualifications; • Quality Assurance of courses and programmes; • Encouraging lifelong learning through pathways and progression opportunities; • Administration of the National Qualifications Framework; and The FHEC is committed to quality higher education, training • Fostering collaboration between institutions and industry.
Better Economic Outcomes In addition to the monitoring of the Strategic Plan 2012 - 2015, the FHEC utilised policies and processes that have been developed in the Strategic Planning to consider significant issues for the Commission, HEIs and industries.

Industries drive the Fijian economy whereby the FHEC pro- vides significant support for and the enhancement of these primary industries through its HEIs and leading edge research.
Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 9 FHEC Strategic Plan: 2016 – 2020 For socio-economic progress, Fiji needs to be supported by a dynamic and focused higher education and training environment.

This is to ensure a capable workforce and a way forward for its multi-cultural community of people.
The strategic planning document outlines the strategies to be pursued every four years and their expected 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 respond to the needs of industry and society, while fostering lifelong learning and the desire to enhance international credibility.
The five outcomes identified in the 2012 – 2015 Plan are aligned with the Peoples’ Charter for Change, Peace and Progress and the Roadmap for Democracy and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.

The Pillars 5 and 9 from the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress, 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 Resource Development Plan 2011 – 2015.

It takes into account the policies developed earlier at the then TPAF [now under the FNU] in collaboration with Polytechnics International New Zealand (PINZ), on the development of the FQF.
The regulatory and facilitative work of the FHEC with institutions and industry stakeholders are strategically linked to impact Fiji’s education and training capacity; based on national and outward looking needs.

The FQF, in particular, is expected to establish a platform for planning and development at all levels of education and training.

The FHEC Strategic Plan 2016 - 2020 has five strategic out- comes for the next five years.

These are: 1.
These are: 1.

Quality, relevance and consistency of education and training provision across the nation is assured; 2.

Education and training that is internationally recognised; 3.

An informed and progressive Fijian society; 4.

Sustained economic growth supported by key capability development; and 5.

An education and training culture based on continuous improvement.
10 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 10 Strategic Outcome 1 Quality, relevance and consistency of education and training provision across the nation is assured.

Strategy Implement the FQF and quality assurance system and ensure their continuing development.
Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 11 Asia – Pacific Quality Register Review • Moving Fiji toward becoming a renowned destination for higher education; and The FHEC became the first external quality assurance agency for tertiary education to be reviewed and then registered on the Asia Pacific Quality Register (APQR) for a period of 5 years (2015 - 2020).
This process and result gives FHEC and its QA process the international recognition and benchmarking; signalling pros- pects for Fiji’s HEIs and sector in the international scene.

The Pacific Quality Assurance Framework (PQAF), in the regional Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) to which Pacific Island Countries (PIC) frameworks are linked, and in the bargaining platform for PIC to other international frameworks.
The members of the review team were: • Professor Colin N. Peiris, BSc (Sri Lanka), MSc and PhD (Penn.
University, U.S.A.), Director of the Quality Assurance & Accreditation Council of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Sri Lanka, and Chair of the Review team; • Professor Jianxin Zhang, PhD (Peking University, China), Chief Expert of Yunnan Higher Education Evaluation Centre, PRC, Director of Research Institute of Higher Education, Yunnan University, Peoples Republic of China; and • Dr Jeanette Baird, BA (Hons) Literature and Philosophy (University of Melbourne), B.Lit.
Japanese Studies (University of Melbourne), MBA (RMIT University), PhD Sociology and Higher Education Governance (University of New England), Adviser at the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Office of Higher Education in Papua New Guinea.

A site visit was conducted by the review team from 24-26 June, 2015.
Based on FHEC’s documentation, interviews, and authenticating statements from the Self-Evaluation Report, the review team concluded that the FHEC was in ‘substantial compliance’ with the APQR criteria.
The FHEC, as well as the country, benefitted greatly from the review, namely: • Strengthening Fiji’s relations with other EQA (External Quality Assurance) agencies in the Asia-Pacific region; • Gaining mutual trust and respect at a regional and inter national level in delivering quality education and training; • Improving the internal quality assurance systems of the FHEC.

The FHEC would however continually enhance the need impr to improve its systems and processes, to be competitive.
The FHEC was officially accepted onto the APQR for a period of five years from 10th August 2015 to 10th August 2020.

Comparing FHEC’s Quality Assurance Standards against the Pacific Quality Assurance Framework The rationale for comparing the PQAF and the FHEC’s Quality Assurance (QA) standards was to identify any commonalities in terms of standards used for HEIs and their respective programmes.
The comparison was done via a review of the following: • The IQA of FHEC’s operation in comparison to the PQAF standards for national agencies; • The comparison of standards for programme accreditation of the FHEC against the PQAF; and • The FHEC’s QA standards for provider recognition and standards for provider registration against PQAF requirements.
It was concluded that the FHEC’s QA strategy was comparable with that of the PQAF, and that there was a robust and com- prehensive QA system in use at the FHEC.

2015 Recognition of HEIs In 2015, a total of three HEIs were granted recognition and these were: 1.

Black Meridian Watchers Academy (BMWA), Suva; 2.

Cannan Institute of Technology (CIT), Nadi; and 3.

Pacific Eye Institute (PEI), Suva.

BMWA is the first company to register its training department with the FHEC.
CIT offers hospitality training in Nadi while the PEI is the Pacific region’s first training facility for eye health professionals.

12 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 2015 Registration of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) In 2015, two (2) HEIs were granted full registration, whilst six (6) were granted provisional registration: Full Registration 1.

Department of Youth and Sports (DYS), Suva; and 2.

Marist Champagnat Institute (MCI), Suva Provisional Registration 1.
Chevalier Training Centre (CTC); 2.

Corpus Christi Teachers College (CCTC); 3.

Fiji Corrections Service Academy; 4.

Methodist Deaconess Training Centre; 5.

St. John the Baptist Theological College; and 6.

Workbridge Fiji.

Compliance The Quality Assurance (QA) section ensures and monitors the delivery of processes and systems within the FHEC and the HEIs through external review process.

The compliance sub- unit is an integral part of the QA department.
The sub-unit conducts QA checks across institutions to ensure that the relevant and mandated legislations, regulations and policies are followed; and in the process that quality education is assured and delivered.

Mandated Review With the first round of Registrations drawing to a close, the Fiji Higher Education Commission had to establish an Assessment and Evaluation procedure to determine how well HEIs had performed against the criteria assessed during the initial Registration process.
Thus, the Mandated Review was formulated to meet this operational need.

In addition, this process tied the operational need to the legislative requirement for a review process of HEIs as mandated in the Higher Education Promulgation 2008 and the Higher Education (Regulations) 2009.

Work on this process was spearheaded, at the Secretariat, by the then Acting Team Leader Quality Assurance, Mr. Eci Naisele, and the Recognition / Registration Officer, Mrs. Vilimaina Waqanokonoko Dreli.
They worked on output measures that would be performance indicators or measures of the Registration Criteria, ensuring that these would tie in with the required Outcome of the Review process as mandated in the Higher Education Promulgation 2008 and the Higher Education (Regulations) 2009.
They also worked on establishing the Review Committee, who would conduct the Mandated Review process, through the publication of an Expression of Interest for the same and shortlisting the individuals who had applied for the Commissions endorsed and approval.

Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 13 Record of Learning (ROL) 2015 Source: FHEC ROL Data Collection 2015 FIJIAN STUDENTS NON-FIJIAN STUDENTS No.
of HEIs YEAR MALE FEMALE TOTAL MALE FEMALE TOTAL GRAND TOTAL 27 2015 15,719 19,046 34,765 7,878 8,204 16,082 50,599 Total ROL for Twenty Seven (27) HEIs in 2015 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 MALE FEMALE FIJIAN TOTAL MALE FEMALE NON-FIJIAN TOTAL TOTAL Function nine (9) of the Commission’s eleven (11) mandated functions states that the FHEC has ‘to maintain a database of Higher Education information’.
The ROL database stores the details of all learners who are pursuing qualifications (Provider or National Qualifications) along with the unit standards that each learner is enrolled in per semester/trimester.

This data collection is currently only confined to registered and provisionally registered higher education providers in Fiji.
The ROL data will provide a ‘life long learning’ higher education record for each learner and as the learner moves from one organisation to another, the learners record would be updated.

The key purposes of the ROL data are to enhance the abil- ity of institutions and industry to authenticate the record of learning of students and to trace the progression of stu- dents at an institution and/or across various institutions.
The ROL can help trace students or persons having the best fit qualifications, something that is desired by government and employers, and to be a reference point for the FHEC and in- stitutions when learners wish to transfer credits from one in- stitution to another.

An interesting finding from the data was that Fiji had a greater female population base (54%) in both domestic and foreign students.

This is a unique scenario in comparison to the pri- mary and secondary sector.
14 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 FIJIAN STUDENTS NON-FIJIAN STUDENTS No.

of HEIs YEAR MALE FEMALE TOTAL MALE FEMALE TOTAL GRAND TOTAL 27 2015 15,719 19,046 34,765 7,878 8,204 16,082 50,599 Technical College of Fiji (TCF) The government initiatives of the TCF warranted the support work of the FHEC in 2015, focusing on the recognition of the institutions as well as oversee the national qualification programmes to be delivered.
Preliminary workshops for staff on CBA and CBT for the first three TCF centres were conducted by the FHEC.

Committee for the Accreditation of University Qualifications (CAUQ) Accreditation of Level 7-10 provider developed programmes on the FQF Shown below is a list of programmes that were accredited.
No Programmes Level University Postgraduate Diploma in Oral Surgery Postgraduate Diploma in Education Postgraduate Diploma in Theology Bachelor of Theology (Honours) Bachelor of Education (Honours) Primary Bachelor of Nursing Science 7 Master of Science in Renewable Energy Management 8 Master of Pathology 9 Bachelor in Geospatial Science 8 8 8 8 8 7 9 9 7 Fiji National University (FNU) Fulton University College (FUC) Fulton University College (FUC) Fulton University College (FUC) Fulton University College (FUC) Sangam Institute of Technology (SIT) University of Fiji (UOF) Fiji National University (FNU) University of the South Pacific (USP) Centres Workshop Dates Nadi Labasa Nabua 04 February 2015 06 February 2015 16 February 2015 A working committee consisting of the FHEC officers, exter- nal Assessors and TCF staff was an important collaboration for TCF’s establishment years.
National Qualifications Rollout by the TCF The NQs were issued to the TCF in three phases.

Phase 1 – Readily Available Three NQs (Level 2) were readily available were given to the TCF to deliver • National Certificate in Heavy Commercial Vehicle; • National Certificate in Mobile Mechanic; and • National Certificate in Electronics.
Phase 2 – Developed out of Existing Level 4 The FHEC developed Level 2 NQs from existing Level 4 NQs and these included: • National Certificate in Tour Guiding; • National Certificate in Agriculture; and • National Certificate in Beauty Therapy.

Phase 3 – Developed for Construction FHEC developed NQs for wet trades for construction and these included level 2 national certificates in the following areas: • Tiling; • Block Laying; • Concrete Finishing; • Plastering; and • Painting and Decorations.
Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 15 • Flexibility of Movement and Credit Transfer.

• Vocational School: access levels 1 & 2.

• Secondary school: access Pre-Trade Entry Qualification.

The FHEC was pleased to announce that in 2015, the first round of accreditation of higher education programmes had been completed.
The outcome for the approved programmes is summarised below: Level on FQF Qualifications Numbers Approved 2 3 4 6 7 8 Certificate Certificate Certificate Diploma Bachelor Degree Post Graduate Diploma 2 3 3 6 2 3 A total of fourteen (14) applications for Levels 1-6 were evaluated while a total of 10 applications were evaluated for programmes in Levels 7-10.
While the accreditation of those at Levels 1-6 was facilitated by the Fiji Qualifications Council in collaboration with local experts in the various subject areas concerned, the accreditation of programmes at levels 7-10 was facilitated by the CAUQ.
It is the intention of the Commission that all programmes currently delivered by institutions are registered by FHEC and will need the programme evaluated to determine whether they have met the minimum requirements for relevancy and quality and thereafter be recorded on the FQF Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF) The FQF is a Framework on which Standards and Qualifica- tions are registered.
The FQF has 10 levels:- • Level 1: Certificate 1; • Level 2: Certificate 2; • Level 3: Certificate 3; • Level 4: Certificate 4; • Level 5: Diploma; • Level 6: Advanced Diploma; • Level 7: Bachelor’s Degree; • Level 8: Post Graduate; • Level 9: Masters Degree; and • Level 10: Doctorate Degree.

It has three (3) Key education sectors: • School Sector; • TVET Sector; and • Higher Education Sector.

What Will The FQF Do?
• Provide flexible & multiple pathways for acquiring education; • Make qualifications accessible to those already in industry; • Allow Recognition of Prior Learning-(RPL) and current competencies (RCC); • Provide for recognition of other qualifications especially overseas institutions; • Meet industry need with alignment to the training institutions; • Ensure the transferability of credits across various institutions; • Ensure recognition of local qualifications by overseas institutions; • Allow the award of National Certificates set against National Standards; and • Provide for the offering of different levels of programmes at different institutions but which can lead to a national qualification.
Overall Benefits • • • For Learners: Provision of quality education with national recognition and international comparability.

For Workers: Clear Learning pathway in the qualification structure that facilitates and supports lifelong learning.

For Workforce: knowledge + skill + attitude and supports lifelong learning.

• For Society: knowledge based society and a learning nation.

Other Benefits • National Consistency of Recognition of Outcomes.

• National Consistency of Certification.


• National Quality Assurance System and Mechanism.

16 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Strategic Outcome 2 Education and training that is internationally recognised.

Strategy Advance initiatives to grow international recognition of education and training in Fiji.
Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 17 Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Conference 2015 The Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Conference and AGM are the main annual events for discussing and advancing quality assurance in higher education throughout the Asia- Pacific region.

The 2015 Conference and AGM were held in Kunming, PRC.

The FHEC presented a research paper titled “Internal Quality Assurance Using Integrated Approach of the Malcolm Bald- rige Framework”.
The mission of the APQN is to enhance the quality of higher education in Asia and the Pacific region through strengthen- ing the work of QA agencies and extending the cooperation amongst its members.

The main theme of the 2015 APQN Conference was “Glo- balization and Diversification of Quality Assurance of Higher Education”.
The sub-themes were: • The quality assurance mechanism of Cross-border Higher Education (CBHE), international accreditation and international cooperation; • Internal quality assurance, programme accreditation, project accreditation, course accreditation, etc.

scape of Higher Education: New Demands on Quality Assur- ance’.
The FHEC Executive Chairman and the Strategic Plan- ning & Innovation Officer attended the conference and also submitted the FHEC’s bid to host the INQAAHE Biennial Fo- rum scheduled for 22nd – 24th May 2016.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) organised and hosted the four-day event which fea- tured a wide range of activities that involved four (4) keynote speakers and three pre-conference workshops.
New Zealand Study Tour The Commission embarked on a plan to develop its staff pro- fessionalism and capabilities to international standards by: • Collaborating with HE providers, professional bodies, industry, donors and government; • Providing staff with experiences at international conferences, overseas attachments and university attachments; as well as; and • Comprehensive in-house training opportunities.
The Commission liaised with the New Zealand High Commis- sion resulting in a study trip for a team of six (6) staff in New Zealand from the FHEC for a week.

The trip was facilitated and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

• Professional accreditation, quality labels, and rankings; The aims of the visits were to: Introduce identified agencies in New Zealand to FHEC’s i. mandated tasks; and ii.
Develop a clear understanding of these prestigious agencies and where appropriate, create partnerships for long-term collaboration.

• Quality assurance of Open Educational Resources (OERs), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in post-traditional provisions; • Teacher assessment and student learning outcomes assessment; • Qualification frameworks, quality assurance and quality information systems.
International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) Conference 2015 The INQAAHE Conference was held in Chicago, U.S.A from the 30th March – 3rd April, 2015.
The conference was guided by the theme ‘Changing Land- 18 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Study Tour Venues 1 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2 3 Universities New Zealand – Te Pokai Tara New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) 4 Ministry of Education (Tertiary Strategy Group) Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) PINZ (WINTEC) Primary ITO of secondary school students in Fiji to tertiary or higher education’; • Encourage continuous pastoral care in Fiji’s education system and explore ways to improve such support system; and • Establish and promote the need of quality data collection from higher education institutions.
Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Funding (MFAT) Funding (June – December 2015) 10 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment 11 Service IQ 12 Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) 13 Auckland University of Technology 14 SKILLS ITO The FHEC received funding support of $100,000.00 from MFAT from July to December, 2015 to facilitate strategic de- velopment.
The funding focused on attaining and strength- ening FHEC’s capacity by linking with institutional partners and accessing technical assistance.

This involved the follow- ing phases: Pacific Tertiary Education Forum 2015 Phase 1(a) The inaugural New Zealand Pacific Tertiary Education Forum: Enhancing Learner Success was held on the 4th – 5th No- vember in New Zealand.
The objective was to engage the entire higher education sector in practically-oriented discus- sions about strategic, organisational and practitioner changes required to improve outcomes for Pacific learners.
Co-hosted by the Association of Pasifika Staff in Tertiary Education (APSTE) and Ako Aotearoa, with the support of the Tertiary Education Commission, this forum was designed to engage the entire sector in a practically-oriented discussion about the strategic, organisational, and practitioner changes required to improve outcomes for Pacific learners.

Obtaining technical assistance to support the strategic and operational planning.
The tertiary sector needed a clear statement from the Gov- ernment on what is expected.

The FHEC needed to align its strategic planning and business processes onto it to ensure that its funding decisions are reflected the expectations of the Government.

In response to the identified need, the FHEC took lead on the development of a Tertiary Education Strategy for Fiji to ensure that its strategic planning and key business processes are aligned to a new investment approach for higher education.
Phase 1(b) The discussion topics covered: An urgent need for the training of workplace assessors.

• NZ Government investment approaches and expectations; • Successful approaches to supporting Pacific learners; • Tertiary Education Commission’s goals, expectations and upcoming investments; • Developing high quality pathways and transitions; • Addressing knowledge gaps; and • Family and community in tertiary education.
The experience at the on-going forum reinforced the FHEC activities to: • Contribute to the development of a clear career pathway for students and the transition from levels of learning to the sector of employment; The identified need reflected Fiji’s expansion opportunities for learners to undertake vocational education and training, which included the establishment of additional technical colleges to increase the relevance of tertiary education.
These were conducted by requiring graduates to demonstrate their new competencies in workplace settings.

In response to the identified need, the FHEC established a target of having 200 workplace assessors to be certified by the end of the 2015.

The funding allowed the FHEC to; 1.

Deliver a ‘train the trainer’ programme in Fiji to ensure that suitable contractors and FHEC staff are qualified to train and certify the competency of workplace assessors; 2.
Provide an opportunity for experienced contractors and FHEC staff to travel to New Zealand for a refresher training; 3.

Deliver training for workplace assessors; and • Conduct surveys and research on the ‘transitions/ shifts 4.

Align the accrediting processes for workplace asses- Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 19 sors and ensure an on-going professional development to the quality standards that apply in New Zealand, taking into account the Fiji context.
The FHEC also identified the need to develop and register national qualifications for the higher education sector that reflected the needs of employers and learners and are aligned to the economic and workforce development goals of Fiji.

In response to the identified need, the FHEC developed the capacity of its national qualifications development unit to have the national qualifications developed in a timely way to ensure rationalisation of the existing provider programmes.
The FHEC’s attendance was important as the seminar pro- vided information on the latest developments in (PACER Plus) negotiations between Pacific Island Countries and Australia and New Zealand.

More importantly, the FHEC needed to be aware of issues relating to the mutual recognition of quali- fications and how these are addressed by other qualifica- tions agencies in the Pacific and in other regional agencies.
The seminar also provided an opportunity to learn from other agencies in the Pacific and in particular, NZQA and Australia’s National Office for Overseas Skills Recognition; and learn what provisions are available on the recognition of qualifica- tions to facilitate labour mobility.
The seminar also provided FHEC the opportunity to verify the alignment of the Fiji Qualifications Framework to the Pacific Register of Qualifications and Standards (PRQS) as well as to other Pacific Island Countries’ qualifications framework in the Pacific.

The funding allowed the FHEC to: 1.

Develop a policy on reducing the proliferation of provider programmes in Fiji; 2.
Establish a communications and engagement strategy focused on supporting the uptake of national qualifications by providers in Fiji; and 3.

Refine the existing business processes and systems that underpin the development of national qualifications to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

Phase 2 The second phase of the funding supported the FHEC in responding to its strategic priorities during the remainder for the year.
The priorities for this phase was planned to organise activities; articulating its prioritization and sequencing.

This phase addressed the needs to ensure that programmes offered by providers in Fiji meet appropriate standards.

Later, the FHEC identified the need to explore alternative mechanisms for accrediting programmes taking account the different regimes that apply to programmes at levels 1 to 6, and 7 to 10 respectively, and the need to ensure the quality and relevance of provider programmes.
The funding enabled the FHEC to: 1. Review existing policies and processes that identified options for accelerating the accreditation of provider programmes and; 2.

Develop policies and processes to guide the work of staff involved in the accreditation of programmes.

The Office of the Chief Trade Adviser (OCTA) - Workshop on Mutual Recognition of Qualifications The OCTA seminar on mutual recognition of qualifications was held in Auckland, New Zealand from the 17th – 19th February.
The seminar was attended by twenty-eight (28) representatives from National and Regional Qualifications Authorities, Ministries of Education and foreign qualifications’ recognition agencies in Pacific Island Countries (PICs), includ- ing Australia and New Zealand.

It was hosted by the OCTA in collaboration with the South Pacific Board for Education Quality (SPBEQ).

20 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Strategic Outcome 3 An informed and progressive Fijian society.
Strategy Optimise participation in education and training.

Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 21 Data Trends Trend analysis in the higher education context, helps to better understand the higher educational terrain in Fiji.

The Equiva- lent Full Time Students (EFTS) trends have been sourced from the funding model data, following the establishment of the funding model system in 2012.
The growth in the Fijian EFTS enrolments reflects the increase in commitment to higher education by local learners implying a more knowledgeable society and skilled workforce.

The Fijian Government’s de- sire to have a more knowledgeable society is progressively being achieved through this trend, although the number of EFTS retained and completing programmes is still to be fully determined.
Total Fijian Equivalent Full Time Students (EFTS) for the three (3) Universities and other Registered HEIs for the Year 2012-2014 17,454 16,511 18,849 1,302 1,822 1,849 2012 2013 YEAR 2014 Total Fijian EFTS Enrolled in the Three (3) Universities Total Fijian EFTS Enrolled in the Other Registered Universities Figure 1.1 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 Figure 1.2 TOTAL EFTS 2012 - 2014 18,756 18,333 20,698 4,427 4,303 25000 20000 15000 10000 4,586 5000 0 2012 2013 2014 Number of Foreign EFTS enrolled Number of Fijian EFTS enrolled Source: Funding Model Data 2012 – 2014 The graph illustrates the trend for Fijian Equivalent Full Time Students (EFTS) in the three (3) universities as well as the Fijian EFTS for other registered HEIs from 2012 to 2014.
On average from 2012 to 2014, 91% of Fijian EFTS were in the universities enrolled while the remaining 9% in other HEIs.

(The FNU has had the highest EFTS enrolment averaging 57%).

Source: Funding Model Data 2012 – 2014 The graph illustrates the trend for the EFTS and the Foreign EFTS studying in registered HEIs in Fiji from 2012 to 2014.

On average for the given period 19% were foreign students while 81% were local students.
The FNU has had the largest local student base averaging 51% for the same period.

The USP has had the largest student base for foreign students at an averaing of 76% the same period.
22 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Figure 1.3 90,000,000 80,000,000 70,000,000 60,000,000 50,000,000 40,000,000 30,000,000 20,000,000 10,000,000 ) I D J F $ ( T N A R G G N T A R E P O L A U N N A Total Annual Operating Grant for the Funded HEIs for the Year 2013 - 2015 80,810,202 79,739,202 64,527,202 Total Annual Operating Grant 2013 2014 2015 Source: Annual Budget 2012 – 2014 Government The graph illustrates the trend for the total annual operating grant for funded HEIs from 2013 to 2015.
The average funding for 2013 to 2015 was $75m FJD while the largest recipi- ent of the grant has been the USP.

On average the USP has received $36.6m FJD, 49% of the total grant over the course of the three years.

Operating Grants 2015 for HEIs Ten (10) institutions received operational grants from Government in 2015 after fulfilling the funding criteria.

Institution Percentage of Fijians Students studying at the HEI Percentage of NON Fijian Students studying at the HEI Approved Funding Amount ($FJD) 1.
Fiji National University The University of the South Pacific The University of Fiji Centre for Appropriate Technol- ogy & Development Montfort Boys’ Town (Veisari) Montfort Technical Institute (Savusavu) Sangam Institute of Technology Corpus Christi Teachers College Vivekananda Technical Centre Fulton University College TOTAL 95.0 52.2 97.8 100.0 98.0 100.0 95.0 100.0 64.1 5.0 47.8 2.2 0.0 2.0 0.0 5.0 0.0 35.9 38,587,000 36,597,202 2,500,000 755,000 700,000 250,000 150,000 150,000 50,000 79,739,202 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 23 Capital Grant - Fiji National University (FNU) Labasa Campus The FNU’s development initiative in the North is meant to help decentralise the provision of higher education to Fiji; creating easier and better access for school students, employers and the general public.
• Wednesday 28th May (morning) - Government and Industry Representatives; and • Thursday 28th May (afternoon) - Education providers, Civil Society, Youth & Religious groups.
The second round of consultations was conducted in August with the focus on the community-level and faith- based or- ganisations to gather a wider response from the public: • Monday 3rd August - Macuata Provincial Council (North); • Wednesday 5th August - Rakiraki Provincial Council • (Western); Thursday 6th August - Faith Based Organisations (Central).
The Fiji HES would identify the indicators for assessing pro- gress and success to provide a complete representation of change across the higher education sector, as well as guide the Government’s investment decisions in order to maximise higher education’s contribution to Fiji’s development.

Graduate Skills Research Report Findings Identifying and developing competencies required of graduates is a challenging task.
The views of employers re- garding the skills, qualities and qualifications required of grad- uates, are important.

Various organisations representing large, medium and small scale employers were approached during the University of the South Pacific Student Expo in 2015 to answer a graduate skills and competency survey.

The findings highlighted that soft skills such as interpersonal and communication skills were required of graduates from the employer’s perspective.
Soft skills refer to the personal attributes that enable an individual to interact effectively and harmoniously with others.

Also noted by employers was that graduates needed to be passionate, customer service orient- ed, to effectively manage time and have strong work ethics.

Based on the aforementioned outcomes, it was recommend- ed that the learning content at HEIs should include a practi- cal component, so that graduates could attain the necessary work experience that employer’s desire.
Graduate skills at- tributable to universities and their comparison and contrast with the requirements of employees, can be further explored.

Open Educational Resources (OER) for a smarter Fiji Fiji recognises the potential in Open Educational Resources [OER] to play a major role in expanding equal opportunities to access quality education and contribute in a significant way towards the development of a smarter Fiji.
This is due to the ability for OER to provide free and adaptable learning and teaching material at relatively low cost.

The scope of OER; “describes any educational resources (including curriculum maps, course materials, textbooks, streaming videos, multimedia applications, podcasts, and any other materials that have been designed for use in learning and teaching) that are openly available for use by educators and students, without an accompanying need to pay royalties or license fees”.
Higher Education Strategy (HES): 2016-2020 The development of the Higher Education Strategy (HES) 2016-2020 has been one of the major highlights of 2015 for the FHEC.

in Fiji.

This document This HES is to be the first comprehensive document to provide direction on the development of the post-secondary (tertiary)education sector in consultation following extensive discussions with selected focused groups from various sections of the Fijian community.
These included the providers, faith-based groups, civil society, industry, pro- fessional associations, licensing bodies, students, parents, chiefs and government officials.

is The HES sets out three (3) priority areas that the FHEC will present.

It is expected that each stakeholder will find themselves reflected in these broad priorities and that they can develop and implement, within their niche area, to en- able Fiji to progress towards accomplishing these strategies.
It is important that these strategies are made known to the community at large so that all Fijians are fully aware of what stakeholders in the sector are expected to contribute to and what is expected from the sector.
HES Advocacy The FHEC conducted two consultation sessions with relevant stakeholders are the following periods: • Wednesday 27th May - Commission Board ,FQC and other committees; 24 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 24 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.
Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 25 Industry Academia Collaboration Meeting From the 7th – 8th of September 2015, the FHEC hosted the Industry Academia (Providers) Collaboration Meeting at the USP: Japan-Pacific ICT Centre.

The FHEC initiated a collaboration meeting which sought to create synergies between the Industries and Academic pro- viders to help ensure that high quality and relevant graduates are produced in Fiji.
The meeting was organised in joint collaboration with the USP - Pacific Technical and Further Education, FNU – National Training & Productivity Centre and the Suva Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The main objectives of the collaboration were to seek Industry input to: • Specifically define competencies needed for each vocation at various levels (Industry to clearly and specifically articulate the types of job required, and what are the specific competencies required); • Engage industries to accommodate for student work experience attachment; • Provide persons from industry to be independent assessors; • Create industry workplace exposure for provider’s teaching staff; • Provide physical equipment where possible; • Embed competency and cognitive licensing requirements in National Qualifications; • Establish professional bodies for Vocational groups; and • Create a mechanism for Industries to voice their concerns about the quality of programmes.
The meeting was attended by more than 200 representa- tives from the HEIs, faith-based organisations, civil society, professional organisations, non – governmental organisations and several industry sectors.

Mini-Industry Academia Collaboration Meeting (Tourism Sector) Following the achievement of the Industry Academia Collaboration Meeting, a proposal was finalised on 15th October with the FNU to host a Mini-Industry Academia Collaboration Meeting.
On the 19th of November 2015, the Mini-Industry Aca- demia Collaboration Meeting was conducted which focused on the tourism and hospitality sector.

The meeting was at- tended by various tourism sector stakeholders which focused on the skills and competencies of employees; and ways they could assist HEIs in supplying quality graduates to boost their sector.

26 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Strategic Outcome 5 An education and training culture based on continuous improvement.
Strategy Innovation, research and continuing development to improve performance and create new opportunities for education and training is encouraged.

Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 27 Funding Model 2015 The funding model contains the proposal for the funding of operational grants for HEIs.

impact assessment and quality assurance systems being put into place.
The four types of funding from government to HEIs include: • Operating Grants allocated and administered by the Commission; • Capital Grants – allocated by the Strategic Planning office (MOE), but monitored for impact by the Commission and the Strategic Planning Office; • Special Grants jointly allocated by different Government departments, e.g.

MoH and MPI contributions to FNU; and • Student scholarships and loans funding by the TSLB.
Many of the anomalies in the operations of HEIs continued to be addressed in 2015, through improved data collection methodologies, monitoring of allocated funds, initiation of The progressive implementation of the funding system is ex- pected to rely on the linkages between HEIs and industries, professional associations, licensing bodies and relevant gov- ernment ministries; to ensure that funding is properly direct- ed to strategic areas for the higher education sector.
Ministerial visitation from the Solomon Islands A Ministerial team from the Solomon Islands visited the FHEC on Tuesday, 21st April 2015.

The team included the Minister for Education (Solomon Is) Dr Derek Sikua, High Commis- sioner, Patteson Oti and Deputy Secretary-James Bosamata.

The Solomon Islands is currently reviewing its Education Act and is seeking the assistance of the FHEC.

They want to have a separate Higher Education Act.
28 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Financial Statement - 2015 • Commissioners’ Report • Statement by Commissioners • Independent Auditor’s Report • Statement of Comprehensive Income • Statement of Changes in Equity • Statement of Financial Position • Statement of Cash Flows • Notes on the Financial Statements Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 29 30 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 31 32 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 33 34 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 35 36 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 37 38 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 39 40 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 41 42 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 43 44 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 45 46 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 FIJI HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION 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 52 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 Fiji Higher Education Commission Annual Report 2015 52