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Re-Think the FUTURE 1 PARLIAMENT OF FIJI PARLIAMENT PAPER NO.44 OF 2021 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2 CONTENT 4 5 5 6 14 16 20 24 32 38 44 50 54 58 60 64 ABOUT FNU Vision Mission CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHANCELLOR’S FOREWARD SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP VICE-CHANCELLOR’S FOREWARD Key developments in the colleges Key developments in the Professional Services Divisions UNIVERSITY STATISTICS LEARNING AND TEACHING RESEARCH STUDENTS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) FINANCIALS ANNUAL Report2020 3 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 4 ABOUT THE FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY The Fiji National University (FNU) is a public, comprehensive, dual-sector university: • Public: FNU is primarily funded by an annual Fiji Government operating grant and student tuition fees.
Most Fijian students are eligible to cover their tuition fees and living costs by borrowing from the publicly funded Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Board (TSLB).

FNU is governed by a University Council appointed by the Minister of Education, Heritage and Arts.

• Comprehensive: FNU comprises five colleges, a specialist maritime academy and the National Training and Productive Centre.
The University offers a full range of disciplines, including agriculture and animal science, business and law, education, engineering and science, and medicine and nursing.

• Dual Sector: FNU offers both technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and the full range of higher education qualifications from bachelor’s degrees to doctorates.

Both TVET and higher education are essential for the social and economic development of Fiji and the wider region.

FNU is the national university of Fiji.


It was established in its current form by the merger of seven tertiary government colleges in 2010, but its constituent colleges trace their roots back to the late 19th century.

It currently has 16 major campuses, 2,000+ staff and approximately 21,000 students.

FNU is a registered university with the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC), which regulates the tertiary education sector in Fiji, and is self-accrediting with degree-awarding powers.
FNU is a vocational university, educating students to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the economic and social development of the nation and region.

Its programmes focus on employability.

All programmes are jointly developed in consultation with employers and all students are required to undertake an ‘industrial attachment’ (internship) as part of their graduating requirements.
As a comprehensive university, FNU offers agriculture, business, humanities and education, medicine and nursing and engineering and science.

FNU is a ‘dual sector’ university, offering technical and vocational education and training (TVET) from levels 1-6 and higher education from levels 5-10 (up to doctoral degrees).
At the same time, the University’s graduate profiles emphasise critical thinking, problem-solving and innovation, to ensure that graduates are prepared to adapt as the impact of COVID-19 and ‘Industry 4.0’ transform the labour market.

VISION To be the leading dual-sector university in the Pacific.
MISSION To serve the people, the economy and society of Fiji and the wider Pacific region, by providing education and training for employability, with an excellent student experience; carrying out research with real-world impact, aligned to national priorities and with global relevance; engaging proactively with stakeholders, in our communities, nation and region; and demonstrating leadership in sustainability.
5 “Registered with the Fiji Higher Education Commission as a University under the Higher Education Act 2008.
Registration Certificate Number RC 0050” FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 6 7 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2020 COUNCIL Role of the Council The Council’s primary role is to provide strategic leadership and governance for the Fiji National University (FNU) to achieve the objectives of the University, and in doing so, to maintain control over its assets, and establish high standards of ethical behaviour, robust corporate governance and risk management practices and procedures.
The Council shall ensure that Management meets the interests of shareholders and meet the expectations and needs of customers, employees, suppliers and local, regional and international communities as provided for under the enabling decree.

The Council is collectively accountable for maintaining established precedents of corporate governance practices, and all members are responsible for complying with their deemed legal and fiduciary obligations and duty of care.
Council Membership January to December 2020Ms Tessa PriceOfficial Member/ Acting Chancellor/ Chair of Council & Chair Audit & Risk Committee In May 2016, Ms Price was the first woman to be appointed to lead ANZ’s Pacific Business working across 11 countries as well as the first female in the role of CEO UDC in 2012.

Ms Price direct report to the CEO of ANZ New Zealand and currently serves on several ANZ Boards.

Before this, Ms Price was Chief of Staff to former CEO of ANZ (Mike Smith) in 2015.
Before joining ANZ, Ms Price worked for the Commonwealth Bank.

Ms Price holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration - Executive from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

She has also completed the MIT Leadership Program in Boston and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.Prof Nigel Healey (January-March)Official Member/ Vice-ChancellorProfessor Healey joined FNU in August 2016 as the Vice-Chancellor.
Before joining FNU, Prof Healey held senior academic positions at Nottingham Trent University, the University of Canterbury and Manchester Metropolitan University as well as teaching positions at the University of Leicester and Leeds Beckett University.

Prof Healey has served as an Economic Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Belarus and the Deputy Minister for Economy of the Russian Federation.
He managed several multi-national research and economic development projects in different parts of the world.

Following his resignation, Prof Healey’s last day at FNU was on Tuesday, 31 March 2020.Prof James Pounder (April-July)Acting Vice-ChancellorPrior to joining FNU in 2018, Professor Pounder was Director of Teaching and Learning at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, a top 100 university in Asia.
He has held a variety of senior posts in academia both in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates at the Provost, Associate Provost, Dean and Head of Department levels.

He is a registered Quality Assurance Council Accreditor for the University Grants Committee and a Specialist Accreditor for the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications.

Prof Pounder commenced his role as Acting Vice-Chancellor on Monday, 23 March 2020.
8 9 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020Ms Tessa Price (August)Acting Vice-ChancellorMs Price, who is Acting Chancellor, stepped down from her role to act in the capacity as Vice-Chancellor from 3 August 2020.

Price is the Regional Executive – Pacific at ANZ Bank.

In May 2016, Ms Price was the first woman to be appointed to lead ANZ’s Pacific Business working across 11 countries in geographies as diverse as Guam, Kiribati and Timor.
She is a direct report to the CEO of ANZ New Zealand and currently serves on several ANZ Boards including ANZ Pacific Operations, ANZ Guam, ANZ Vanuatu and ANZ PNG.Dr William May (September - December)Acting Vice-ChancellorDr William May, Dean of the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS), became Acting Vice-Chancellor following Ms Price’s term.

Prior to being Dean, Dr May was the Head of School, Medical Sciences’ at CMNHS from 2013 to 2015.
In 2009, Dr May began his academic career at FNU as an Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine until 2012.

He has served in senior leadership roles at the Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ (MOHMS) across various hospitals before joining FNU.
Dr May is a member of various boards and councils such as the Western Pacific Association of Medical Educators (WPAME), Fiji Medical & Dental Council, the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (IMSANZ), Associate Member Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ), Executive Internal Medicine Organisation of the Pacific and a Board of School Trustee.

He is also a member of national policy committees as well as numerous curricula, exams, academic, research and advisory committees.
Dr May is an Associate Professor and a registered Specialist Physician.

He is also a Senior Consultant Physician at the College and the Colonial War Memorial Hospital with a special interest in Cardiology.
He is a proud FNU alumnus, having received his Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Internal Medicine, and a Graduate Certificate in Medical Education at the University.Dr Nur Bano AliOfficial Member/ Deputy ChancellorDr Ali stands out as the only Fijian practising accountant with a PhD.

Her thesis was on Development Finance (using FDB as a case study) from the University of Waikato, New Zealand.
She is also a member of the Fiji Chamber of Commerce and the Chair of Women in Business (Fiji).Dr Anjeela JokhanOfficial Member / PS for EducationDr Anjeela Jokhan is the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Heritage & Arts.

She had previously served in the role of Dean, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment at The University of the South Pacific.

Her professional career spans over 27 years, in which she has held various administrative and academic positions.
She is passionate about research in the areas of plant physiology, eLearning, mLearning and institutional research.

As an active researcher, she has published over 46 journal articles, books, book chapters and conference papers.Prof Dharmendra SharmaAppointed MemberProf Sharma is currently the Chair of the University Academic Board and a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Canberra (UC).
He has been the Dean and Head of School and various senior leadership roles in universities for over twenty-five years and had been made a University Distinguished Professor by UC in 2012.

Prof Sharma’s research background is in the Artificial Intelligence areas of Planning, Data Analytics and Knowledge Discovery.

He has received several competitive research awards and grants.
Prof Sharma is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, a Fellow of the South Pacific Computer Society, and a Senior Member of IEEE.

He had completed his PhD from the Australian National University and postgraduate qualifications in Computer Science from the University of New South Wales and postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications in Mathematics and Science from The University of the South Pacific.
Ms Lala SowaneAppointed MemberMs Sowane brings over two decades’ experience in the tourism sector, providing valuable insight into the demands of the industry.

She is the director/owner of Pacific Destinations, an inbound tourism operator, and also holds qualifications as an accountant/auditor.Mr Raymond PrasadAppointed MemberMr Prasad graduated with Honours from Deakin University, where he earned a BA in Architecture.
He brings over 15 years of industry experience and will supply the Council with his refined expertise surrounding the demands and requirements of professional services in the construction industry, such as civil and services engineering.Prof Barry McGrathAppointed MemberProf McGrath MB BS (Hons) 1969 University of Sydney, trained as a Physician in nephrology and general medicine (FRACP 1975), and obtained a Doctorate of Medicine by thesis (‘Hypertension in Haemodialysis Patients’ University of Sydney) in 1978 from studies in Sydney and Oxford UK.
A full-time clinical academic at Monash University, in 2000 he was appointed the first Chair of Vascular Medicine in Australia.

He is the author or co-author of 6 books, 11 book chapters, 226 papers in referred journals and more than 250 abstracts.

He has been invited plenary speaker in international meetings in the UK, France, Japan, China, South Africa.
10 11 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020Dr Joseph VeramoAppointed MemberDr Veramo has worked at The University of the South Pacific, previously teaching in the non-formal education sector.
He has extensive experience consulting for multi-lateral organisations and will bring a berth of insight on non-formal education to the Council.Dr Penuel Immanuel (aka Emi Mataitoga) Appointed MemberDr Emi held several senior medical positions, as a Physician with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ (MOHMS) of Fiji for 8 years prior to joining Suva Private Hospital/Re-branded MIOT Private Hospital, to work as a Consultant Specialist Physician to date.
She held senior management posts as Medical Director and Ward Manager of the Private Hospital (2015 to 2018).

She was accredited by Global Medical Unit/HOC in Sydney, Australia and New Zealand Immigration Department as a Panel doctor/Specialist to process Immigration Medicals for both Countries.

She is a panel doctor for the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, PNG and South Africa.
Prof Ravi NaiduAppointed Member Prof Naidu is CEO and Managing Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), and Global Innovation Chair and Director of the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Prof Naidu is a graduate of the University of South Pacific and received his PhD and DSc (via invitation) in soil and environmental science from Massey University, New Zealand.
Prior to his appointment to the CRC CARE in 2005, he was Chief Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water Division.

He has authored or co-authored over 700 journal articles and 80 technical publications.

He is also the Chair of the International Committee on Bioavailability and Risk Assessment.Mr Devanesh SharmaAppointed Member Mr Sharma is a lawyer of 31 years, having obtained his LLB from Victoria University in Wellington.
He now specialises in all aspects of civil and commercial litigation in Magistrates Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Industrial Tribunals.

He is a past president of the Fiji Law Society.Mr Vishnu MohanAppointed Member Mr Mohan is a senior international banker with over 40 years of experience in Corporate and Institutional Banking and Consumer Banking.

In his most recent role, Vishnu led Australia New Zealand Bank’s businesses across 12 countries in the Pacific.
While still with ANZ in Fiji he was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission by the President of Fiji in May 2015, a position which he still holds.

Upon retirement in April 2016, Mr Mohan was asked by the Fiji Government to assume the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of The Fiji Sugar Corporation and most recently he was appointed a member of the Fiji National University Council.
Before joining ANZ in 2009, Mr Mohan had a long and successful career with UK’s Standard Chartered Bank.Mr Gordon JenkinsAppointed Member Mr Jenkins is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors and a Member of the Fiji Institute of Quantity Surveyors.

He worked as a Quantity Surveyor in Wellington from 1962 to 1968 for the NZ Ministry of Works and a private consultancy.

Currently, he is a partner in a Fiji quantity surveying consultancy practice.
His experience in Fiji and surrounding South Pacific countries with many projects have been very broad.

He is President of the Construction Industry Council in Fiji with a desire to education with the Fiji Governments help all practitioners in the industry to grow and be responsible.Ms Jyoti PratibhaAppointed MemberMs Pratibha is an Honours Graduate from the University of Delhi’s Hindu College.

She has worked as a journalist for over 13 years.


She started her career as a cadet journalist at the Daily Post and till recently held the position of Managing Editor News at Fiji’s biggest newspaper, the Fiji Sun.

Prof Unaisi Nabobo-BabaElected Deans Rep.Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba joined FNU as Professor of Educational Research at the School of Education in 2017.
She attained her bachelor’s degree, postgraduate and masters from The University of the South Pacific (USP) and PhD from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Prof Nabobo-Baba has over 30 years of experience in the tertiary sector.

She specialises in the areas of higher education development in the Small Island States of the Pacific, Teacher Education, Educational Research and indigenous knowledge and education.
12 COUNCIL COMMITTEES The Council committees are mandated to advise the Council on issues pertaining to the respective and specific areas handled by the Committees: Financial Resources Committee is primarily responsible for considering, reviewing, and advising the Council on policy and strategic matters as they relate to Financial Resources.
Membership Dr Nur Bano Ali Mr Vishnu Mohan Ms Lala Sowane Mr Gordon Jenkins Vice-Chancellor Chair Member Member Member In Attendance Human Resources Committee is responsible for advising and making recommendations to the Council on policy and strategic matters as they relate to Human Resources.
Membership Mr Vishnu Mohan Mr Devanesh Sharma Ms Tessa Price Dr Penuel Immanuel Dr Joseph Veramu Vice-Chancellor Chair Member Member Member Member In Attendance Physical and Virtual Resources Committee is responsible for advising and making recommendations to the Council on policy and strategic matters relating to physical resources, including information and communications technology.
Membership Mr Gordon Jenkins Mr Raymond Prasad Dr Joseph Veramu Vice-Chancellor Chair Member Member In Attendance Corporate Governance and Strategic Planning Committee is responsible for advising the Council on matters relating to the University’s strategic directions, including short (Corporate Plan) to long term (Strategic Plan) planning for all aspects of the institution, and for ensuring the implementation of the Corporate Governance Policy.
Membership Ms Tessa Price Dr Nur Bano Ali Mr Vishnu Mohan Acting Chancellor & Chair Chair FRC Chair HRC Mr Gordon Jenkins Chair PVRC Prof Dharmendra Sharma Co-opted Member Dr Anjeela Jokhan Co-opted Member Vice-Chancellor Chair of Senate Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for advising the Council on systems of internal control and financial compliance, accurate external financial reporting, managing the relationships with the University’s external auditors, and ensuring legal compliance in the financial affairs of the University.
Membership Ms Tessa Price Dr Nur Bano Ali Mr Devanesh Sharma Chair Member Member Prof Dharmendra Sharma Member Vice-Chancellor In Attendance NTPC Advisory Board is responsible for advising the Council on the overall function of the National Training and Productivity Centre according the FNU Act 2009.

The Board shall act as advisor to the Council on all policy matters of the NTPC.
NTPC Advisory Board Mr Raymond Prasad Dr Anjeela Jokhan - PS Education Ms Fantasha Lockington – CEO - Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association Mr Osea Cawaru – PS for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Chair Member Member Member Mr Shaheen Ali – PS for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport Member Mr Gordon Jenkins Vice-Chancellor Member In Attendance 13 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020Prof John ChelliahElected Professorial Rep.Prof Chelliah is currently Director of HR for Fiji National University.
He was also Acting Dean of College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

His substantive position is Professor in Management at the College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies at the Fiji National University.

Prior to joining FNU, he held academic and management positions at Universities in Australia and New Zealand.

His highest academic qualification is a PhD in Human Resource Management from RMIT University, Australia.
He also holds masters’ degrees in management and business administration from New Zealand universities.

Before joining academia, he held senior management positions in organisations located in the UK, USA, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia.

He has published widely in reputable international management journals.Mr Vilive CagivinakaElected Non-Professorial Rep.Mr Cagivinaka served as a teacher for 10 years in Fiji Secondary Education for both rural and urban schools.
He then joined the Fiji College of Advanced Education in 2009 before transitioning to FNU in 2010.

His expertise lies in Teacher Education with 10 years of experience in teacher education program development and review.

He is an active member of College Academic Committees serving in the School of Education Academic Quality Committee and School of Education Post Graduate Studies Committee.
He served as the Head of the Department for Secondary Education at the College of Humanities and Education from 2015 to 2017.

He was elected as a member of FNU Council and Senate representing Non – Professorial Academic Staff from 2014 to 2016.

Mr James KoroitubunaElected Undergraduate Students Rep.Mr Koroitubuna is the newly Elected Undergraduate Students Rep to Council.

Mr Koroitubuna hails from Tailevu and is in his final year pursuing the Bachelor of Law.
During his first year, he was part of the interim executives of the Fiji National University Law Students Association.

The following year, he was elected to be the President of the traditional Kubuna Confederacy for Residence Students.

In 2020 he was appointed to the FNU Nasinu Students Association to work as the students Legal Officer.

And in the same role, he was the coordinator for the FNU Students Association Fiji Day 50th celebration in which the Hon Prime Minister was the Chief Guest.
Mr Koroitubuna is a familiar face in the game of rugby union, as he is a professional referee for the Fiji Rugby Union participating in both local, national and international matches.

He has International accreditation in all capacity as a referee, medical responder and administrator recognised by the Oceania and World Rugby.
Mr Mohammed Rasheed IgbalElected Student Rep.Mr Igbal is the Director of Planning and Management of Fiji National University Students’ Association (FNUSA) with effect from 1st January 2017 till 31st December 2021.

He has a vast role in FNUSA holding several positions including the Chair of the Commission of Inquiry, Chair of the Annual General Meeting, and the Coordinator Officer for the Students’ Election to Fijian Elections Office.
Before this appointment in 2016, he took the lead role as College of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (CAFF) Indo-Fijian Students’ Association President and CAFF Representative.

He was also a member of the FNU Steering Committee in 2016.

He worked on the CAFF Students’ Association Constitution and since 2016 serves as an Independent member and consultant for the CAFF Students’ Associations Senate.

Mr Igbal is an Alumni of Fiji National University.


He completed his undergraduate studies from FNU (Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry, Trade Diploma in Animal Husbandry and Certificate III in Commercial Agriculture).

Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Science in Agriculture (Animal Science) from FNU.

He has received several leadership awards and recognition for his leadership initiatives.

He has also held several leadership positions with various organisations.
As the Chancellor and Chair of the University Council, it is my pleasure to write the foreword to the 2020 Annual Report.

The University Council is the supreme decision-making body in any university.

Its role is to ensure that the Vice- Chancellor and the Senior Management Group manage the institution in the best interests of the University’s stakeholders – students, staff, employers, professional bodies, taxpayers and the Fijian Government.
The Council does this by setting the University’s strategic direction, monitoring the implementation of the strategic plan, and approving all major financial decisions and institutional policies.

2020 proved a challenging year for everyone across the globe due to the unprecedented impact caused by COVID-19.

The education system was placed under immense pressure to ensure that the delivery of programmes, its quality and accessibility to students remained the key focus.
University management had to go back to the drawing board and come up with new initiatives and creative ideas to ensure students learning did not lag; they remained focused whether it was through conducting classes through blended mode, Zoom sessions or holding group discussions using social media platforms.

The leadership of both Acting Vice-Chancellors Professor James Pounder and Dr William May during 2020 was exemplary.
I must commend the FNU Senior Management Group for quickly adapting to new modes of teaching and learning, which was critically important.

It was able to keep our students focused on their studies when there was much chaos around us.

Among the major highlights for 2020 is the appointment of respected academic Professor Toby Wilkinson as the Vice-Chancellor, following an extensive international recruitment process.
Professor Wilkinson’s appointment fits well with the university’s strategic goal of being a premier, world-class tertiary education institution that educates students to succeed in the labour market and contributes to the nation’s economic and social development.
Professor Wilkinson is an accomplished academic who has held several key positions at renowned universities, and his extensive international career will strengthen FNU’s management team and steer the institution towards realising our overall objective.

FNU is a ‘dual sector’ university, offering technical and vocational education and training (TVET) from levels 1-6 and higher education from levels 5-10 (up to doctoral degrees).
The programmes are designed in collaboration with the region’s employers and benchmarked on international best practice through partnerships with universities and professional bodies in Australia and New Zealand.

Professor Wilkinson joins FNU at a crucial time when universities around the world are reviewing their processes, programme delivery, relooking and rethinking ways of ensuring their products and services are accessible and relevant to the new employment demands of the future.
Across our campuses, there is also extensive building and renovation work underway as we transform our campuses to meet the needs of 21st-century students.

A four-storey CBHTS building and a new state-of-the- art gymnasium are being constructed on our Nasinu Campus with a few other important building projects underway at other campuses across the country.
The Fijian Government continues to provide FNU tremendous support and the University Council is committed to working closely with both stakeholders and the Senior Management Group to build a national university of which all Fijians can be proud.

Tessa Price Chancellor & Chair of Council Fiji National University 15 The University has undertaken a major upgrade of our digital infrastructure, which enabled us to make a speedy transition to fully online learning.
FNU offers blended learning, which is a mix of the best online and face-to-face teaching.

At the same time, we are undertaking physical infrastructure development, which strengthens our teaching and research.

These are all essential developments to prepare our graduates for the changes in the labour market that will be driven by “Industry 4.0” in the future.
In balancing our dual sector role, the University has also set in motion several exciting plans to uplift our TVET programmes and structure as we step into our second decade.

Professor Wilkinson comes with the exact experience and energy needed to steer this young institution forward to meet its ambitious targets.
Professor Toby Wilkinson joins FNU from the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, recently crowned ‘Modern University of the Year’, where he served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for the College of Science, the College of Business, portfolio development, civic engagement, and external relations, including a wide range of local, regional, national and international partnerships.
job losses, FNU To support those affected by developed and offered a Business Fundamental short course via online learning which was well received by Fijians with over 7,000 people registered their interest in undertaking the course.

To provide financial relief to our students, FNU introduced a flexible payment plan method that required students to clear their fees in agreed instalments.

The late enrollment fee was also removed.


14 CHANCELLOR’S FOREWORD FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1 4 2 5 3 6 Professor Nigel Healey Vice-Chancellor 1 Professor Healey joined FNU in August 2016 as the Vice-Chan- cellor.
Prior to joining FNU, Prof Healey held senior academic positions at Nottingham Trent Univer- sity, the University of Canterbury and Manchester Metropolitan University as well as teaching positions at the Uni- versity of Leicester and Leeds Beck- ett University.

Prof Healey has served as an Economic Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Belarus and the Dep- uty Minister for Economy of the Rus- sian Federation.
He managed several multi-national research and economic development projects in different parts of the world.

Following his resignation, Prof Healey’s last day at FNU was on Tuesday, 31 March 2020.

Dr William May Dean, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences 4 Dr May joined FNU in 2009 from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, where he held senior medical positions and had worked for 14 years.

He also served in various teaching positions at the Fiji School of Medicine and FNU.
Dr May is a member of the Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand, the Fiji Medical Council and Fiji Dental Council.

He chairs the Board of Management of the Fiji Medical and Dental Secretariat.

Professor James Stuart Pounder Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) 2 Professor Pounder joined FNU in 2018.

He has held a range of senior posts in academia both in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
The distinguished aca- demic is also a registered Quality Assur- ance Council Accreditor for the Univer- sity Grants Committee and a Specialist Accreditor for the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vo- cational Qualifications.

Prof Pounder was Director of Teaching and Learning at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, a top 100 university in Asia, prior to mov- ing to Fiji.
Professor Paul Ade Iji Dean, College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 5 Professor Iji joined FNU in 2018 having held positions across a range of institutions including Ahmadu Bello University (Ni- geria), University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Pretoria (South Africa), and University of New England (Australia), where he was Coordinator of Higher Degrees by Research of a large school.

He has graduated close to 40 postgrad- uate students and is currently super- vising 4 PhD students.
Prof Iji is on the editorial board of a number of scientific journals and regularly reviews for oth- er journals.

He has published over 300 journal and conference papers.

17 Professor Mohini Lata Singh Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) 3 Professor Singh has an illus- trious 30-year experience as an academic at Australian uni- versities, where she has held several leadership positions.
Prof Singh has extensive experience with High- er Degree by Research programs and students and has delivered talks and lectures at many international forums.

Prof Singh currently holds Professorial Fellow and Adjunct Professor positions at several international universities.

Prof Singh joined FNU in 2018 and was pre- viously a Professor of Information Sys- tems at RMIT University in Australia.
Dr Rohit Kishore Acting Dean, College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies 6 Dr Rohit Kishore joined FNU as the Director of the Executive MBA programme in February 2014 and since joining, he has led the development and teaching of the Executive MBA programme offered by the College of Business, Hospitality & Tourism Studies.

Apart from his role as Director-EMBA, Dr Kishore was also the Associate Dean Research for the college.
He attained his bachelor’s de- gree from the University of Technology Sydney, MCom from University of New South Wales and PhD from the Univer- sity of Western Sydney, Australia.

Dr Kishore has over 25 years of experience in the tertiary sector combined with senior leadership experience as the permanent secretary and held board of directorship roles in the private sec- tor.

Dr Kishore specialises in the areas of economics, finance and real estate.
Dr Kishore became the Acting Dean in April 2020 following the retirement of Professor Ram Karan.

16 SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP 2020 GROUP 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 7 10 8 11 9 12 18 Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba Dean, College of Humanities and Education 8 Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Ba- ba joined FNU as Professor of Educational Research at the School of Education in 2017.
She attained her bachelor’s degree, postgraduate and masters from The University of the South Pacific (USP) and PhD from the University of Auck- land in New Zealand.

Prof Nabobo-Ba- ba has over 30 years of experience in the tertiary sector.

Prof Nabobo-Baba specialises in the areas of higher edu- cation development in the Small Island States of the Pacific, Teacher Education, Educational Research and indigenous knowledge and education.
Prof Nabo- bo-Baba assumed the position in Au- gust following the retirement of Dr Eci Nabalarua.

Sarita Devi Registrar 11 Ms Devi was appointed as the Fiji National University Regis- trar in 2015.

Prior to this, she served in various senior posi- tions in the Academic Office, including Deputy and Assistant Registrar.

Ms Devi has vast experience in teaching at Primary and Tertiary levels, curriculum development and project management.
Dr Eci Nabalarua (Retired) Dean, College of Humanities and Education 7 Dr Eci Nabalarua has an ac- ademic career spanning four decades at The University of the South Pacific (Fiji), Univer- sity of Waikato (NZ) and Fiji National University.
She attained her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), in Political Science and International Relations from the Australian National University, Canber- ra, Australia, Master of Arts in Rural and Social Development (MA in RuralSoc Dev) from University of Reading, United Kingdom and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from The University of the South Pacific.

Dr Nabalarua retired in August 2020.


Dr Isimeli Waibuta Tagicakiverata Director, National Training and Productivity Centre 10 Dr Tagicakiverata started his career as a secondary school teacher before joining the Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT) as a Research Associate and part-time lecturer.

He completed his Doctorate at The University of Newcastle in Austra- lia.

Dr Tagicakiverata rejoined FNU as Chief Research Officer TVET, and later as Acting Director TVET.
In October 2017, he took on the role of Director NTPC and NPO Head for Fiji.

He is a member of FITVETA and IVETA and is the President of PATVET.

He is a cur- rent Board Member for the National Employment Centre (NEC) and the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development (CATD).

He is the APO Alternate Director for Fiji, and a Council Member for the newly established APO Accreditation Council.
Salabogi Mavoa Acting Dean, College of Engineering, Science and Technology 9 Mr Mavoa started his career as Technical Assistant with TECAIR Ltd then joined the Fiji Broadcasting Commission (FBC) as Technical Assistant where he spent the next 12 years.

He then joined Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT) in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer in Broadcast Engineering.
He climbed the ranks and held several key positions in FIT and Fiji National University before being appointed the Acting Dean College of Engineering, Science and Technology in 2015.

Mr Mavoa was seconded in Au- gust as Project Director to oversee the formation of a College of Vocational Ed- ucation & Training.
Tiko Domonakibau Director, Information and Communications Technology 12 Mr Tiko Domonakibau joined FNU in March 2019 as a Se- nior Instructor in Telecommuni- cations – Network Engineering at the School of Electrical and Electron- ic Engineering based at the College of Engineering Science & Technology.
He attained his bachelor’s (Hons) degree in Electronics & Computer Engineering (University of Brighton –UK); Master’s in Technology & Innovation Manage- ment (University of New South Wales) and Masters in Business Administra- tion (University of the South Pacific).

Mr Domonakibau has over 25 years of experience working in the industry and has close to two years of teaching experience.
He was the General Man- ager - Information Technology and later the General Manager- Engineering and IT at Telecom Fiji Limited from 2011 to 2017.

Mr Domonakibau became Direc- tor following the retirement of Mr Anuj Chandr.

13 16 19 Professor Tibor Pasinszki Acting Dean, College of Engineering, Science and Technology 13 Professor Tibor Pasinszki joined CEST on 01 May 2018 as Professor of Physical Chemis- try, and he became the Head of the School of Pure Sciences in the same year.
He has vast experience as an academic and has held numerous senior level appointments in academia.

He was the vice director for science of the Institute of Chemistry and the head of the Inorganic Chemistry Department at Eotvos Lorand University, Institute of Chemistry, Budapest, Hungary.

He was also a representative and member of various academic committees.
Prof Pasinszki is an active and impressive re- searcher who has 95 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals and has 3 book chapters under his publications.

He is a renowned Chemical Engineer who has attained his B.Sc.

in chemical engineer- ing, from Budapest University of Tech- nology and Economics, Hungary; M.Sc.

in chemical engineering, from Budapest University of Technology and Econom- ics, Hungary; Ph.D. in chemistry, from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary and D.Sc.
in chemistry, from Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Prof Pasinszki became Acting Dean in August 2020 following the sec- ondment of Mr Mavoa.

14 17 15 18 19 Professor John Chelliah Director, Human Resources 14 Professor Chelliah is the Direc- tor Human Resources.

Prior to joining FNU, he held several senior academic and man- agement positions at Universities in Australia and New Zealand.
He holds a PhD in Human Resource Manage- ment from RMIT University, Australia and master’s degrees in management and business administration from New Zealand universities.

He also served as Acting Dean of College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

His substantive position is Professor in Management at the College of Business, Hospitality, and Tourism Studies.

Chandr Anuj (Retired) Director, Information and Communications Technology 15 Mr Anuj is an IT expert who joined FNU as Director ICT in 2010.
Before this, he held sev- eral executive management po- sitions in Telecommunications Fiji Limit- ed (TFL).

During his career Mr Anuj has supervised many key projects related to the next generation network (NGN), including optical fibre transmission, mi- crowave, satellite and CDMA wireless broadband systems, VoIP and ADSL, VDSL solutions for Internet access.

Mr Anuj retired in September 2020.


Nilesh Prasad 16 Director, Finance Mr Prasad joined FNU in 2018 and has previously held senior finance positions at The Uni- versity of the South Pacific and Co- ca-Cola Amatil Fiji Limited.

Prasad holds a BA Accounting and Financial Manage- ment and Economics and Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Accounting from The University of the South Pa- cific.

Shalendra Mani Gounden Director, Estates And Facilities 17 Mr Gounden joined FNU in 2017.
He was previously Op- erations Manager and Acting Director with the Division of Es- tates and Infrastructure at The University of the South Pacific.

Mr Gounden also worked in various engineering, construc- tion and infrastructure related projects in Fiji and the Pacific.

Mr Gounden is a registered project manager and member of AIPM; has worked with consultants on projects funded by the World Bank.
Niranjwan Chettiar Director, Capital Projects and Infrastructure 18 Mr Niranjwan joined FNU in January 2017 as Manager Proj- ects and later was promoted to Director Capital Projects and Infrastructure.

Prior to joining FNU, Mr Niranjwan was Manager Design and En- gineering Services at The University of the South Pacific.

He has worked as an Engineer at the then Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities.

He’s also a Professional Member of the Fiji Insti- tution of Engineers.
Jenies Mudiliar Director, Marketing and Communications 19 Ms Mudiliar joined FNU in late 2017 with 6 years of Mar- keting and PR experience in Higher Education across the Pacific.

She is a creative Branding, PR and Communications professional with over 9 years of experience in Interna- tional Trade and Higher Education sec- tors.
She has successfully managed and coordinated marketing campaigns and events for the respective companies that she has worked for which included advertising, design, media liaison, public relations, brand building, fund control as well as market research.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Having taken up the role of Vice-Chancellor of the Fiji National University in January 2021, I am conscious of the debt I owe to my colleagues who guided the University and its community through the difficult days of 2020.

I express my sincere thanks to Professor James Pounder, Ms Tessa Price and Dr William May for their service as Acting Vice-Chancellor during the year under review.
The report that follows reflects their considerable accomplishments at a time of unprecedented challenge and change.

2020 was a year like no other in the history of FNU.

It is best remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic that brought a sudden halt to business as usual and forced most of us out of our comfort zones.
FNU responded with innovation and agility – especially in the digital delivery of learning, teaching and assessment – to minimise the disruption to operations and safeguard the interests of our students.

FINANCE In 2020, the government grant approved was $56.2m.

However, due to the economic impact of COVID-19, this was reduced to $48.5m in the Mini Budget Announcement in March 2020.

Tuition income remained steady, and the University continued to receive sponsor payments from TSLB.
Year 2015 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 Govt Grant $ 38,587,000 $ 45,072,521 $ 56,072,521 $ 44,376,025 $ 48,503,218 Year 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Tuition Income $ 61,670,566 $ 58,707,894 $ 61,160,835 $ 65,364,703 $ 65,946,525 $ 71,298,293 Despite the economic challenges, the University remains committed to supporting our students, staff and other members of the FNU community.
In response to budgetary constraints, FNU took a proactive approach to identify and reduce costs without compromising our Learning and Teaching outputs.
The following measures were adopted: • Students entered into payment plan options to assist them in paying their fees • Temporary freeze of recruitment for vacant positions in support sections and case by case reviews for academic staff • Freeze on overseas professional training and travel • Discontinue all year-end strategic planning retreats and close monitoring of expenses • Outsourcing of cafeterias • Prioritisation of preventative repairs and maintenance • Delaying of internal capital projects • Suspension of new capital projects STUDENTS At the beginning of 2020, the full impact that COVID-19 would have on all our lives had yet to be felt in much of the world, including Fiji.
FNU experienced a significant increase in new enrolments, bringing our total student headcount (EFTS) to 13,580, the highest recorded in five years and an increase of 11% on the previous year.
Table 1: Equivalent Full-Time Students (EFTS) Status Continuing Students New Students Total 2016 6,844 2,910 9,754 2017 7,058 3,453 2018 8,072 3,825 2019 8,336 3,890 2020 8,612 4,968 10,511 11,897 12,226 13,580 Part of the increase was attributable to the amalgamation of the Technical Colleges of Fiji (TCF) into the University.
Increases were also recorded in the College of Business, Hospitality & Tourism Studies (CBHTS) and the College of Engineering, Science & Technology (CEST), reflecting the early 2020 labour-market demand for qualifications in these fields.

21 20 VICE- CHANCELLOR’S FOREWORD FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 LEARNING & TEACHING TENTH ANNIVERSARY 2020 marked the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Fiji National University.
Many of the planned celebrations had to be cancelled or scaled-down because of the pandemic; but significant new investments in the University continued throughout the year, including the roll-out of a new student data management system, the construction of a new world-class gymnasium and sports complex and a new home for the College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies at the FNU Nasinu Campus.
The University received a tenth-anniversary visit from the Honourable Prime Minister to mark Fiji Day 2020.

23 22 It has been remarked that COVID-19 brought about ten years’ worth of digital innovation in the space of ten months.

Before the pandemic struck, FNU was fortunate to have invested in a Centre for Flexible and E-Learning (CFEL), staffed by highly skilled professionals committed to leveraging digital developments to the full.
This enabled the University to switch to fully online delivery in the second half of the first semester – not only with success but as a platform for future innovations in online and blended delivery.

FNU continues to prioritise flexible and e-learning to strengthen our pedagogy in response to Industry 4.0 and other 21st century challenges.
Every programme of study at FNU benefits from industry and employer input, ensuring that our graduates leave the University with the knowledge, skills, attributes and competencies required by the labour market.

FNU is also developing innovative new short courses and micro-credentials aimed at re-skilling and up-skilling the existing workforce, and at facilitating lifelong learning.

STAFF FNU is an institution committed to investing in its staff, recognising that our people are our greatest asset.
The resilience and adaptability of FNU staff greatly assisted the University in rising to the COVID-19 challenge.

In 2020, the University had a full-time staff body of 785 academic staff and 1,016 professional services staff.

In terms of overall staffing, the University is relatively evenly balanced between men and women.

Professional services divisions tend to have a slight majority of female staff, while the proportion of female academic staff remained in the range 41-43%.
This overall figure masks significant variations between Colleges: the two science- based colleges (CAFF and CEST) and NTPC are predominantly male, while in CHE and CMNHS women are in the majority; these trends are observed in universities around the world.
Colleges CAFF CBHTS CEST CHE CMNHS NTPC Total 2018 2019 2020 Male (%) Female (%) Male (%) Female (%) Male (%) Female (%) When classified by seniority, the table below shows that, in 2020, the proportion of women at the entry grades is high – 31.9% in TVET and 60.5% in higher education.
However, female participation drops significantly at the more senior ranks.

Again, this picture is repeated in universities around the world.

FNU is committed to improving female participation in the science colleges and to promoting the advancement of women in their academic careers and has launched a series of initiatives to address gender imbalances.
TVET Ranks Principal Instructor Senior Instructor Instructor Assistant Instructor Tutor % Female Higher Education Ranks % Female 28.6 26.7 34.3 28.1 31.9 Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor Lecturer Assistant Lecturer 12.5 46.7 34.1 55.6 60.5 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 24 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY The College, like the rest of the University, went through COVID-19 difficulties in the first half of the year.
On a positive note, the pandemic provided an opportunity for the College to develop and strengthen online and blended delivery of programmes.

This was achieved through intensive training of staff, many of whom had not used the online mode extensively before the pandemic.

All academic staff at the College are now proficient in the use of technology to deliver online studies.

The College commenced a new BSc programme (Animal Science) in 2020, which is expected to grow to become a flagship of the College.
Furthermore, the College also commenced postgraduate programmes, including research and coursework Masters as well as PhD.

These new programmes will strategically position the College and the University within the Pacific region in the primary industries.

(ACIAR), including two for The College continued to engage strongly with international groups throughout the year, especially in research.

CAFF received $160,000 of seed research grants from the University.
The College also received five postgraduate scholarships, valued at $1.4M from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural local staff Research development.

These awards will be held at the College, commencing in 2021.

The ACIAR is also supporting other research projects, including investigating the scale of antimicrobial resistance in Fiji, to be jointly managed by CAFF and CMNHS.

Several other smaller external grants were received with a total value of about $170, 368.
The College was quite prolific in research publications during the year under review.

Two book chapters, 34 peer-reviewed journal papers and three conference papers were published.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE COLLEGES The College continued with its outreach and engagement program with the community.
Meetings and discussions were held with the Taiwanese Trade Mission to Fiji, Malaysian High Commission, UNDP, APTC, and local businesses, including Vinod Patel and Grace Road, to discuss research collaboration and support.

The College continued to meet with service Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Sugar Industries, and the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji.
Internationally, the College discussed research and teaching collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and the Climate Change Research Network of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM STUDIES The College moved quickly to adapt to the ‘new normal’ learning and teaching conditions.

Programmes were redesigned so that they could be successfully offered in online and blended modes.
Staff responded quickly to ensure students were not adversely affected by the lockdowns, other uncertainties and difficulties caused by the pandemic.

All aspects of academic advising and services, peer counselling, guidance and support were provided to ensure students successfully navigated through this challenging period.
CBHTS is committed to providing education for employability and entrepreneurship to students and to achieve this it has commenced with the review of programmes by the Industry Advisory Committee (AIC) and obtaining international accreditation.

The College aims to incorporate Industry 4.0 capabilities in all programmes by Semester 1, 2022.

Work also commenced on the accreditation of the Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA) by the Association of Master of Business Administration (AMBA).
Furthermore, the accreditation process for the CBHTS has commenced with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

To strengthen collaboration and partnership, the College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asia Pacific Applied Economics Association (APAEA) for building research quality and output, the Embassy of France for teaching the French language at the College and with the Fiji Power Lifting Federation to strengthen sports education, training and research.
Despite the learning and teaching challenges of 2020, the College published 15 ranked journal articles.

The College formed its new Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) to review all existing and new programmes to ensure it remains relevant to the industry and employers’ needs.
The College continued to strengthen its collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and (MCTTT) through the development of Transport specialised programmes to train people who became unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020 the College commenced work in developing 4 programmes: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), E-Commerce, digitisation of businesses, Sustainable and Eco-tourism and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
25 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 26 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY smaller vessels’ safe operation around coastal waters.

The training, funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was held from 7 to 11 December 2020.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the College’s infrastructure for online and blended modes of teaching was fully established and operationalised.
This enabled the College to continue to offer most of its programmes online to sustain students’ studies.

Further progress was made toward international accreditation of selected Bachelor and Diploma of Engineering programmes.

Additional facilities were established with the construction of the Research and Development Centre at the Derrick Campus.
The College also experienced significant changes in its management and direction, as the long-serving Acting Dean, Mr Salabogi Mavoa, transferred to a new position with responsibility for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), while Professor Tibor Pasinszki, the former Head of School for Pure Sciences was appointed as the new Acting Dean.
The Minister for Infrastructure, Meteorological Services, Lands and Mineral Resources, The Honorable Jone Usamate, made an official visit to Derrick Campus in November 2020 to meet with Professor Pasinszki and staff of the School of Building & Civil Engineering.
The purpose of this visit was to discuss issues concerning architects in Fiji, the Engineering sector, and ways by which the College can assist the Ministry to improve building standards throughout the country by developing a new programme in the Construction and Architectural sector.

In conjunction with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Fiji Maritime Academy (FMA) facilitated boat master training in Naduri village in Macuata, Vanua Levu.
A total of 77 participants attended the training, which was intended to provide participants with the skills and knowledge regarding maritime knowledge required for As a milestone achievement, for the first time in 2020, the College offered Higher Degree by Research programmes, which had students enrolling in both Masters by Research and PhD programmes.

Members of the College also won the Annual Vice Chancellor’s Research awards for the third year in a row.
Dr Alvin Lal took home the VC’s Award for Research Excellence in the category of Early Career Researcher, and Dr Ravita Devi collected the VC’s Award for Research Excellence in the category of Higher Degree by Research.

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions, the College continued its progress toward establishing Oceania’s best science and engineering programmes.

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION The College continued to develop new study programmes to meet the demands of students.
In 2020 the School of Communication, Language and Literature (SCLL) successfully passed three postgraduate diploma programmes through FNU Senate, which will be offered from 2021: Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language, Postgraduate Diploma in Linguistics, and Postgraduate Diploma in Literary Studies.

In addition, the School of Education (SOE) also had their Bachelor of Education (Specialist in Technical Vocational Education and Training) passed by the Senate.
As part of the Entrepreneurship course, the School of Arts and Humanities (SAH) participated in the Fiji Arts Council Market held at the FNPF Plaza in Suva on Saturday, 29 August 2020.

Students were provided with the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge 27 in marketing their products and services.

At the end of the event, both students and staff were pleased with the outcome of their sale and their participation in the Solesolevaki Market.
This event is part of CHE’s Industrial Development profile.

CHE embarked on a two-day curriculum-mapping workshop in collaboration with Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) in September.

This was to strengthen the quality and relevance of TVET in Fiji, to design and develop TVET programmes between the two institutions that can be combined, and discuss ways to sustain the joint programmes.
The collaboration enabled APTC’s Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE) to be successfully mapped to the FNU Higher Education Teachers Certificate in TVET.

The CHE Leaders Workshop was co-sponsored by Civic Leaders for Clean Transactions (CLCT) Integrity Fiji on “Quality in Academic Leadership and Management: Enhancing Meaning, Quality & Integrity of our Degrees & Our Leadership” on 17-18 September 2020.
One of the primary outcomes was to develop a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) programme for the Ethics and Governance Department to help revitalise the department’s course options.

In December 2020, the College launched the new Ethics and Anti-Corruption in Oceania (EACO) course.

The free anti-corruption six-week course for students aims to raise awareness of transparency and good governance.
CHE partnered with International, Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), Pacific Youth Council and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to develop the programme.

Integrity Fiji, Transparency CHE hosted several book launches, the first in September by Ravinesh Prasad from the School of Education for his book, Easy Pieces on Education – An Ephemeral Approach.

The book was launched by Professor Tupeni Baba, Professor Subramani and College Dean, Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba.
In November, the School of Communication, Language & Literature lecturer Bhagwanji Bhindi launched three books titled Journey of Reasons, Aspirations of a Limitless Mind Seeking Endless Possibilities and Horizons from the Edge: Depths of Emotional Flight and Descent.

The books conveyed his thoughts and views on various subjects and issues of life.
To develop excellence in student experience and promote cultural diversity, the College Hindi Team at Natabua Campus in Lautoka partnered with the Hindi Parishad Fiji - Western Branch to organise the Hindi Day celebrations in September.

The programme consisted of staff and students and activities included Poetry recital, Dance, Songs and Speech in Hindi.

To enhance knowledge sharing, the College embarked on a series of webinars, workshops, and seminars.
A total of 6 webinars were held between March to December 2020 on topics ranging from ‘Research Paradigms and their Significance for a PhD’ to ‘Ethnographic Research Methods’ and ‘Behind the Paradigms: Power and Knowledge Creations’.

A joint workshop with International Labour Organization (ILO) on Social Protection and COVID-19: Rethinking New Strategies for Pacific Communities was held from 2-3 December at FNU’s Nasinu Campus.
The two-day workshop discussed topics such as ‘Poverty, Social Protection and the Covid 19 pandemic in Fiji,’ ‘Re-thinking the Economics of Social Protection’ and ‘Grassroots Issues in Social Protection.’ Discussions provided wide-ranging perspectives to enrich the ongoing conversation on social protection.

The School of Education (SOE) graduated seven students from the first-ever cohort in Masters in Education in December 2020.

This is a milestone both for CHE and FNU.


FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES The College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) developed new programmes in 2020 to meet the growing demands of specialised training required in the expanding health care sector.
CMNHS obtained approval from the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) for nine new programmes at Certificate, Postgraduate and Masters levels: • Certificate IV in Dental Assistance • Certificate IV in Community Nutrition • Certificate IV in Universal Substance use Disorder • Postgraduate Diploma in Human Nutrition • Postgraduate Diploma in Pathology (revised) • Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing • Postgraduate Diploma in Physiotherapy • Masters in Sexual and Reproductive Health • Masters of Nursing (Emergency Nursing) The Master of Health Services Management (MHSM) programme offered by CMNHS was accredited by the Australian College of Health Services Management (ACHSM).
The international recognition enhances the programme reputation, marketability, and value to graduates’ competencies in the market.

The School of Health Sciences strengthened its collaboration with the University of Sydney with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The partnership provides opportunities for both institutions to undertake joint activities in areas of mutual interest that may include staff exchange, student mobility and research collaboration.
The School of Dentistry also inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sai Prema Foundation of Fiji which will enable FNU’s dental faculty and trainee dental students to provide free oral health services to underprivileged children currently awaiting cardiac surgery.

The dental students will gain experience and exposure to clinical scenarios outside of their usual learning environment.
FNU provided a dental caravan to the Foundation, which was donated to the University by the Australian Rotary Foundation to assist students in their outreach programmes.

CMNHS partnered with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, St. Vincent Health and Pacific Health Fund to establish the Fiji Mental Health Telehealth initiative.
This is a project to catalyse better engagement with remote and rural health services in providing essential mental health services to communities which are deprived due to geographical barrier.

Discussions are ongoing regarding the provisions for research grants for implementing mobile mental health screening apps and dementia.

The College and the Office of the Registrar in collaboration with the FNU Students’ Association marked World Mental Health and World Suicide Prevention Day.
During the event the ‘Ask, Listen, Motivate, Ask again’ (ALMA) initiative was also launched for students and staff to reach out to people who may be distressed.
The Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research (FIPHR), the research arm of CMNHS partnered with the Otago Global Health Institute of the Otago University and through this collaboration, the establishment of a virtual Communicable Diseases Research Centre (CDRC) was organised, with the appointment of Professor Philip Hill as Adjunct Professor to guide the setup of the CDRC 28 with provisions of technical expertise and support.
This partnership allowed for two CMNHS staff to undertake Lab-based the Otago research programmes at University on HIV (Masters research) and Antimicrobial Resistance (PhD research).

A collaboration with The George Institute (TGI) for Global Health Australia, provided FIPHR with a seed grant of AUD 50,000 to support Masters’ Students in CMNHS.

The first recipient has been Awarded for research submitted in 2020 to be undertaken the following year.
FIPHR launched its comprehensive five-year Strategic Plan in February to support and ensure that CMNHS research grows considerably.

FIPHR is comprised of five Research Centres (RCs), a Research Training, Ethics and Repository Unit, and an administration arm.

FIPHR has an overall vision of supporting Pacific Island countries in developing healthier communities by focusing on knowledge creation, exchange, integration, and application through research.
World Bioethics Day was celebrated for the first time at CMNHS in October 2020.

Bioethics is the ethical implications and applications of the health-related life sciences and poses challenges in the delivery of research, health care, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and management of disease, and promotion of health.
With the emergence of new biotechnologies and the reemergence of infectious diseases, health professionals need to make the right choice when making decisions that affect the health of communities.

FIPHR enrolled its 8 inaugural Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students in Semester 2 of 2020, four enrolled in the Masters by Research, and four in the PhD programme.
The HDR programme provides a platform to current students and staff including others, to work on real and important issues for Fiji, the Pacific and the world by making an impact on national development and innovation.

FNU is the first tertiary institution in Fiji to join the Institutions Council of Academic Public Health Australasia (CAPHIA), the peak organisation that represents public health in universities throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region.
This membership allows access to CAPHIA’s Learning and Teaching resources for the Master of Public Health programme, offered by CMNHS.

CAPHIA will also support the academics from CMNHS, with valuable forums to create an academic community of practice.

The School of Dentistry and Oral Health attained a milestone achievement by being accepted in the Australasian Council of Dental Schools (ACODS).

The Council comprises all dental schools in Australia, with the University of Otago from New Zealand.
This significant accomplishment brings FNU to the forefront of providing dental education for the region as well as strengthening its research outcomes and collaborations with counterparts Australia and New Zealand.

ACODS is an academic body that is committed to leadership, innovation and continuous improvement in dental education and research advancements that is beneficial to the oral and general health of individuals and communities.
CMNHS acquired a state-of-the-art Anatomage worth $105,559.70 to aid the learning and teaching in the area of anatomy in all programmes.

The Anatomage is an advanced anatomy visualisation system that allows dissection and reverse manipulation of a virtual human cadaver.

This equipment is an alternative for teaching and learning anatomy effectively in the absence of cadaveric dissections.
29 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Following the completion of renovation works, the Dental Technology Teaching Laboratory for the dental technology and dentistry students and was opened at the Pasifika Campus basement.

The dental laboratory is used by students to carry out all the lab work for prosthetic patients.

The relocation of the dental lab from CWMH to Pasifika Campus made it accessible, safer and economical to students.
A newly renovated facility with specialised equipment was commissioned by the College to cater for the increase in demand for the Bachelor of Dietetics and Nutrition programme.

The Dietetics and Nutrition Food Preparation Lab is located at FNU’s Public Health and Primary Care Campus in Tamavua.
The lab will be beneficial to increase demand in areas such as food preservation skills, understanding of food science and its role in food components, preparing and testing recipes for sports enthusiasts, health purposes and food entrepreneurship.

FNU staff, Dr Leenu Maimanuku is the only Pacific Regional Commissioner in the Lancet Global Oral Health Commission.

She received her designation in December 2019 but attended their first inauguration meeting in the United Kingdom at the beginning of 2020.
FNU’s Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia, Dr Sereima Bale, was one of the winners of the 2020 World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) Distinguished Service Awards.

Dr Bale was nominated for this award by the Australian Society and Pacific Society of Anaesthetists.

She joined the then Fiji School of Medicine in 1998 as a Senior Lecturer in Anaesthesia.
NATIONAL TRAINING AND PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE The National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) had an array of international and local conferences and events scheduled in 2020.

NTPC successfully staged the 2nd National Conference on Information Technology at Holiday Inn, Suva, on March 12 and 13.

The two-day event was attended by more than 100 professionals from the public and private IT sector.
The event featured ten national speakers who presented on the theme ‘Leveraging Technology for Productivity Growth and Sustainability’.

the Following re-strategised lockdown, NTPC operations under the new business practice and, where possible, proceeded to offer services using the online platform.

The NTPC entered a partnership with Crystal Delta to offer a free online entrepreneurial skills course.
The Business & Computing Fundamentals online course provided necessary skills and knowledge for new business start-ups aimed mainly for the community members who inspired to start small and medium enterprise business in light of the adverse economic effects of COVID-19.

The two-week programme was a combination of self-paced learning and support through online group coaching.
The course had 1,399 participants, who were issued either a Certificate of Participation or Certificate of Attainment based on the study option they had selected.

In June 2020, NTPC forged a partnership with the College of Marshall Islands and successfully expanded its services to neighbouring island states by providing specialised training in selected programmes via an e-learning platform.

The Centre delivered short courses 30 in Automotive, Welding, Construction and Electrical.
NTPC trainers developed the course material.

The eight-week training programme was conducted in Majuro and Ebeye.

A total of 70 students participated in the course.

The Centre trained 20 participants on constructing cyclone resilient houses through its partnership with Habitat for Humanity Fiji.
This partnership also fulfilled NTPC’s mandate to provide quality technical and vocational programmes to upgrade skills and knowledge of construction tradespersons in Fiji’s industries using current technologies and best practices.

The course comprised of 12 modules held over six weeks.

Students learnt to construct six cyclone resilient HFH Fiji core house.

The training concluded in August.


To support the fast-growing fashion and design launched Fiji’s first-ever Fashion industry, NTPC Incubation Centre (FIC) at the Nabua Centre in August.

The FIC is a collaborative project with the Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC).
The FIC programmes are designed to support young and upcoming designers and fashionistas with pattern-making, designing and sewing skills, and career mentoring services to encourage students to develop capacity towards venturing into small entrepreneurial initiatives.
The FIC also provides entrepreneurial skills and facilitates production runs of up to 100 units making it ideal for small business entrepreneurs who are unable to place orders through established garment factories due to small production size.
Community Alternative Learning (CAL) The NTPC’s Department of Community Based Non- Formal Education in collaboration with its training partners, the iTaukei Affairs Board and the United Nations Development Programme in the Pacific, delivered technical skills training programmes at Tavuki village, on the island of Kadavu.
The iTaukei Affairs Board initiated the training as a rehabilitation and recovery effort to the people of Kadavu who faced the full brunt of Cyclone Harold, a Category Four system that struck Fiji in April.

The two-week training conducted in November focused on four areas, Wooden House Construction, Household and Sanitary Plumbing, Solar Installation and Maintenance, and Small Engine Repairs.
A total of 98 participants were selected and trained from the following eight districts: Ono, Yawe, Sanima, Nakasaleka, Ravitaki, Naceva, Nabukelevu and Tavuki.

Apprenticeship and Trade Testing Scheme The National Apprenticeship Department had 277 apprentices in training at various trade and technician levels in 2020.

A total of 88 tests were recorded for the National Trade Testing Scheme for the year.
31 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 CAPITAL PROJECTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE The impact of COVID-19 had a direct and indirect effect on most capital projects being undertaken at the University.

However, quick adoption of the new business norms enabled the University projects to remain on course as much as practicably possible and with minimum delays.
Fiji National University has adopted an appropriate balance between physical and digital infrastructure to maximise the institution’s ability to enhance flexible learning and strengthen ongoing student experience.

The Division had a capital spend of $21M on its projects in 2020.

Major projects undertaken included: College of Business, Hospitality, and Tourism Studies, Nasinu Campus: Construction work at the 4-storey $27M complex continued despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Once complete, the facility will provide the University with state-of-the-art learning and teaching spaces that include a lecture theatre with 450-seat capacity, tutorial rooms, computer lab, and student services hub.

The complex provides flexibility in spacing in lecture rooms and has technologically advanced equipment that will boost the student learning experience.

This project is expected to be completed in Semester 2, 2021.
Sports Complex, Nasinu Campus All the construction works, except for the multipurpose court’s flooring system, were completed in December 2020.

The flooring installation was on hold due to travel restrictions affecting the expert installers from Australia.

The University has since agreed on a strategy with the flooring specialists to complete installation, supported by online training, in the first half of 2021.
The $9M project incorporates a sustainable water management system that utilises rainwater for non-portable use providing environmental and social benefits.

Technical Training Building, Naceva Centre, Lautoka: The University commenced utilising the $4.7M building from Semester 2, 2020.

The project has provided the university necessary space to enhance the delivery of TVET and workforce training and increase access to education for the greater Western Division.
This project replaced the NTPC building that was destroyed by fire in 2015.

Engineering Research & Development Centre, Derrick Campus: The new $4.7M Engineering Research & Development Centre provides aspiring engineering students with a modern and specialised facility to advance their learnings.

The spaces incorporate flexible use concepts and common learning areas with full disability access.

From Semester 2, 2020, students have been able to use the ground floor which has Civil and Mechanical Labs.
The full use of the facility is expected to commence in 2021.

Campus Utility Infrastructure Upgrade: The Division completed electrical infrastructure upgrades at Koronivia Campus, Natabua Campus, School of Nursing, Tamavua Campus and Nasese Campus.

The upgrade provides compliance to safety standards and allows the University to expand on the electrical demands with the changing technological trends.

included the installation of The upgrade works generators to provide backup power to the respective sites.
This ensures that FNU campuses face minimal disruptions during a power outage and create a safer environment for hostel students during natural disasters.

To improve wastewater infrastructure at the Nasinu Campus and account for the new developments of the growing campus, a $700,000 project was undertaken to replace the old sewer system.
Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2020, which includes a new reticulation system for the latest developments, connects to the existing buildings and Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) sewer line.

Sustainable Projects: • The Solar PV project at Nadi Campus, the first renewable energy project for the University, boasts a 250kW installation, a combination of roof mount, and a small ground mount solar array.
The installation works commenced in January by contractor CBS Power Solutions (Fiji) Ltd and were completed in May.

The University saves approximately $12,000 per month with this installation and aspires to install similar systems on other campuses.

The ground mount setup is for training purposes allowing students easier access and learning about installation and energy distribution.
• The University has been using smart technology and equipment in its infrastructure development and refurbishments to ensure minimal energy integrate wastage.

The new developments occupancy sensors on Air Conditioning Systems and Lighting Systems.

These are being installed in buildings across the university.
33 32 KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIVISIONS FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 • The abundance of rainfall in the Central Division is maximised in the Sports Complex Project, which collects and supplies rainwater for non- portable use within the facility.

Landscape services.

The division continues to work in partnership with all stakeholders to deliver an excellent customer experience.
ESTATES AND FACILITIES To ensure we offer our students, staff and visitors excellent, sustainable services and facilities, the Division of Estates and Facilities (DEF) undertook several upgrade and renovation projects in line with the University Strategic Plan 2018–2020.
This was supplemented with the continuation of the long-term facility maintenance plan using the life-cycle cost benefits model to enhance the standard of the teaching, administration, and hostel facility and improve the University’s overall attractiveness and functionality estate.

The division strengthens the Asset management framework, establishes risk response strategies, and supports the university asset’s safety and compliance as its key objective.
DEF is also at the forefront of implementing sustainable measures to reduce the University’s carbon footprint by using energy-efficient products.

Consolidation and rationalising of buildings through space management initiatives continue across the University to drive the expansion plans and ensure all space are efficiently utilised.

New vehicles, including buses, were purchased by the division to assist with student transportation.
The University conducted an in-depth review of operations to protect its economic viability in the new business environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, to maintain its focus on core areas of learning and teaching, outsourced Cafeteria, Housekeepers and INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY The Division of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) had a busy start to the year, given the new demands brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University adopted a Work from Home (WFH) initiative for a few months, while the traditional face to face learning and teaching delivery had to quickly and efficiently be migrated to the online platform.

Amidst this critical situation, the planned projects and operational tasks had to be re-prioritised.
The lockdown required the University to embrace online delivery of learning and teaching, which saw the division re-strategise its operations and provide immediate support to Colleges and Professional Services Divisions.

Rapid changes included improvement to Zoom security, Zoom and Moodle integration, expansion of storage capacity to accommodate lecture recordings, and support provided to staff working from home.
Following the commissioning of servers in the University Information Management System (UIMS) Project, 2020 was a year of migration to the Banner platform.

The ICT team worked tirelessly to ensure that services to the University continued without any significant disruptions.

The Banner Finance go-live and migration went ahead in January 2020, followed by Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) and the National Training Productivity Centre (NTPC) system migration in October.
Banner HR, the two remaining student management system 34 migrations, and Degreeworks and Adirondack go-lives are key milestones planned for 2021.

To effectively manage service requests and issues, the Service Management System (Jira) was enhanced to accurately record reported faults and issues and introduce reporting and analytics for timely closures.

This visibility into IT services will assure students and staff that their problems will be resolved in a time- efficient and transparent manner.
Security of all data and systems is critical for the University.

In December 2020, the Security Upgrade Project contract was signed to modernise FNU’s security systems and introduce new monitoring and coordination capabilities to detect threats and suspicious online behaviour.

This will be one of Fiji’s largest enterprise security upgrade projects and its implementation is scheduled for completion by the end of March 2021.
Another significant milestone in 2020 was the revamp of the FNU website, which was completed with IT staff working with vendors to ensure the outcome supports the university’s requirements.

a.

The online requisition submission system Within the University Information Management System (UIMS), HR designed and activated a module for raising Personnel Requisitions Submission (PRS) with ease and efficiency.
This system has replaced the previous stand-alone in-house based online Personnel Requisition Form (PRF).

b.

Implementation of Talent management suite in UIMS The paperless screening process was introduced in 2019 through which recruitment files were shared using Office 365 SharePoint and OneDrive.

2020 saw the introduction of the Talent Management module within the UIMS ecosystem.
This module’s screening process has replaced the previous sharing and screening process using Office 365 SharePoint and OneDrive.

Sharing of files using the new module has the following benefits: i.

Recruitment files are shared using the talent management system, and all responses from the screening committee are straight away recorded using this suite.

HUMAN RESOURCES The FNU’s Division of Human Resources (HR) has evolved into a technology-based consultancy and HR analytics service.
In 2020, HR, with the aid of technology, enhanced its consultancy services specifically towards: reducing • streamlining HR processes and • administrative burdens, reducing HR administration and compliance costs, • sourcing for global talent, • providing ease of access to data for employees and managers, • provision of real-time metrics to allow decision- makers to spot trends and manage the workforce more effectively, repositioning itself as a key business partner to its internal clientele.
• Recruitment and Retention FNU is committed to recruiting and selecting candidates based on merit guided by a person specification for the position, clearly outlining the attributes required for the position, including qualification, skills, and experience.

All recruitment activities are undertaken systematically, consistently, and efficiently and are aligned with the Fijian Employment Law and equal employment opportunity principles.
New processes were introduced in strengthening the recruitment process: iv.

iii.

ii.

A timeframe can be set on the approvals so that all comments from the screening committee can be processed promptly.

Secondary storage of data is not required since all the applications are stored in the ‘cloud’.

The module has an inbuilt external and internal careers site that facilitates the advertising process.
This the administrative time taken to switch between the different databases to view the internal and external vacancy files.

This system incorporates a dashboard for accurate data reporting and shows the applicants history for all the positions they have applied for at FNU.

Applicant trails are stored in the database for analytical purposes.
reduces v. c. COVID-19 Response applicants face-to-face interviews with local and All international for positions were redesigned to videoconferencing via ZOOM for the ‘Work from Home (WFH) period’ during the period of COVID-19 restrictions.

The interviews were facilitated by HR remotely so that recruitment efforts to source critical positions was not delayed.
FNU transitioned all face-to-face courses to online delivery mode for the semesters in 2020, and there was a brief period of Work from Home between 25 March and 4 April.
In addition to the WFH protocols observed for this period, the whole 35 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 g. Change management To meet the evolving needs of FNU and the need to deliver on its core objectives effectively and efficiently, several divisions within the University have undergone restructures over the last two years.
In 2020 the following restructures were facilitated by HR: • Division of Estates and Facilities • Office of the Registrar • College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies • Division of Information and Communication Technology Staff Engagement Staff development and training is a key aspect of retention.

It ensures that staff skills do not become redundant over time.

Individualised staff development is formalised through FNU’s annual performance management planning exercise.
The following initiatives were introduced as part of the development phase: capability building, career pathing through secondment, flexible hours and training.

Staff were provided training as part of professional development in Child Protection Module, Occupational Health & Safety (OHS), and Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC).
As part of management training, an online strategic workforce planning module was also launched in December 2020 to assist with training and familiarising staff (supervisors and managers) with workforce planning at FNU.

Staff Benefits and Professional Development A total of 2,930 staff were provided with study benefits and training by the Division of HR between 1st January to 31st December 2020.

No.
No.

of Staff Supported: Professional Training and Technical Workshops Full-Time Study Leave with Educational Allowance Tuition Fees Concession (Spouse & Children) Fee Waiver TOTAL 2186 39 174 531 2,930 36 recruitment plan had to be redesigned for the year to overcome the adverse impact of the pandemic on business continuity, especially in teaching and learning.
Staffing budgets were carefully managed with guidance and advice from HR to the Colleges and Divisions without compromising the quality of teaching and learning and day to day business operations and services.

The HR Business Partners played a key role in assisting with re-assigning staffing resources to online and flexible learning modes during the pandemic.
Notably, the skills shortage in Fiji and the border closure had an adverse impact on our ability to fill vacant positions and this is reflected in the table below.

Stream Academic Support Number of positions advertised 102 64 Number of Appointments 24 13 d. Standardising the employment contracts 2020 saw amendments to Fiji’s Employment legislations, and these were outlined in the special COVID-19 budget.
The reduction in Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) contributions (employer and employee) and the days for the family care leave led to a revision of entitlements and had to be managed with frequent FNU PR announcements.

e. Executive Search Recruitment (Outsourcing) For the first time last year, FNU engaged the services of an executive search firm (ESF).

These ESFs can reach a wide pool of candidates globally and assist the selection committee with quality outcomes.
In consultation with the University Council, the HR Division prepared a detailed strategy for the selection of the ESF, which resulted in an ESF with global networks, reach, and a proven track record of senior academic recruitment in the Pacific being selected.

The new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Toby Wilkinson was the first person to be appointed with this ESF’s assistance.
f. Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) The under-representation of women in managerial and senior academic positions remains an issue that the University is determined to address.

To enhance gender equity and the recruitment of more women into leadership positions, the University created a Gender Equity Committee.

This committee is working on developing new initiatives to increase women’s participation at different professional and academic levels, including leadership roles.
The committee was also tasked to oversee the implementation of these initiatives and monitor progress.

Staff Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): Five-Year Trend 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 817.95 798.95 776.15 729.2 785.3 1338 1245 1176 1134 1016 Academic Staff Support Staff Enhancing Technological and Analytics Capabilities The work on implementing the University Integrated (UIMS), which commenced Management System in 2019 incorporates the development of talent management, employee self-service and payroll.
In preparation for the roll-out of UIMS in 2021, the HR modules were configured for pay processing and employee data management within the UIMS integrated platform.

The employee payroll data for all existing staff were extracted from the legacy software and migrated to the new UIMS system.

All online platform is being developed using the Talent Management Module to roll out more training modules.

Looking ahead Over its first decade, FNU has witnessed significant growth and development.
The year 2020 witnessed an acceleration in that trajectory, as staff and students alike responded with innovation and determination to unforeseen challenges.

Looking ahead, the University is embarking on its second decade with an emboldened vision and mission, and a renewed commitment to providing the highest standards of learning and teaching in TVET and Higher Education.

We must demonstrate excellent value for money and pursue innovation in income-generation to meet the changed economic conditions.
We must continue to invest in our student experience and in our staff body.

And we must work, more closely than ever, with our partners and stakeholders.

The achievements of our first decade, and of 2020 in particular, provide a firm foundation for future success.

37 Professor Toby Wilkinson Vice-Chancellor The graph below shows the number of staff in different colleges who took study leave and completed their studies: 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 ff a t S f o .
o N CEST CMNHS CAFF CBHTS Colleges The illustration below provides a span shot of staff who have completed their studies and those whose studies are in progress.
23% Completed Full Time Study Leave In Progress 77% Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) As part of its people strategy, HR developed a 5-year workforce planning framework towards adopting a proactive approach in securing the right number of staff with the right knowledge, skills, attitudes, and qualifications, performing the right tasks in the right place at the right time aligned to FNU’s strategic plan.
The Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) initiative was introduced in late 2020, and the framework was approved by the SMG and later endorsed by Council.

Using the framework, staffing needs were identified to meet the strategic objectives of Colleges/Divisions.

The HR team conducted seminars to introduce concepts of SWP to the SMG of all Colleges as well as developed and launched an SWP online training module for all managers.
A five-year trend (below) shows an increase in academic staff and a decrease in support staff for 2020 in comparison to 2019: Headcount: Five-Year Trend 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 969 924 899 819 905 1,449 1,360 1,294 1214 1141 0.67 0.68 0.69 0.67 0.79 Academic Staff Support Staff Academic: Support Staff FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 STUDENT HEADCOUNT BY COLLEGE College National Training and Productivity Centre College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies College of Engineering, Science and Technology College of Humanities and Education College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences FNU Technical College of Fiji Total Student Headcount by College - 2020 25% 0 2 01 6 2 01 7 2 01 8 2 01 9 2 02 0 23% 38 NTPC National Training and Productivity Centre CAFF College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry CBHTS College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies CEST College of Engineering, Science and Technology CHE College of Humanities and Education CMNHS College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences TCF FNU Technical College of Fiji 39 EQUIVALENT FULL TIME STUDENTS (EFTS) BY COLLEGE UNIVERSITY STATISTICS Total 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1.500 1,000 500 0 College College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies College of Engineering, Science and Technology College of Humanities and Education College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences FNU Technical College of Fiji 10,511
698 3,765 2,991 2,045 2,725 1,356 9,754 10,511 11,897 12,226 13,580 10% 5% 20% 28% EFTS by College - 2020 15% 22% 2 01 6 2 01 7 2 01 8 2 01 9 2 02 0 CAFF College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry CBHTS College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies CEST College of Engineering, Science and Technology CHE College of Humanities and Education CMNHS College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences TCF FNU Technical College of Fiji FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 EFTS BY GENDER Gender Female Male Total EFTS by Gender - 2020 55% Female Male EFTS BY NEW/ CONTINUING STUDENTS Status Continuing Student New Student 2016 6,844 2,910 9,754 2017 7,058 3,453 2018 8,072 3,825 2019 8,336 3,890 2020 8,612 4,968 10,511 11,897 12,226 13,580 40 Total 10,000 8,000 6.000 4,000 2,000 0 37% EFTS by New/ Continuing Students - 2020 63% Continuing Student New Student 20 16 2017 2018 2019 2020 HEADCOUNT BY COURSES Courses Pre - Degree Courses Bachelor Courses Postgraduate Courses Other Courses Total Note: This excludes courses for NTPC Pre-Degree Courses Postgraduate Courses Bachelor Courses Other Courses 7% 6% 37% Headcount by Courses - 2020 50% EFTS BY CITIZENSHIP Citizenship Afghanistan American Samoa Australia Bangladesh Cambodia Canada China Congo Cook Islands Estonia Equatorial Guinea Faroe Islands Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France Ghana Guam Guyana Haiti India Indonesia Japan Kazakhstan Kiribati Marshall Islands Mongolia Nauru Nepal New Zealand Nigeria Niue North Korea Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Philippines
 Samoa Seychelles Slovenia Solomon Islands South Korea Sri Lanka Taiwan Timor-Leste (East Timor) Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu United States Of America Vanuatu Total FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 GRADUATION BY PROGRAMME Programme Certificate Diplomas Trade Certificate & Diplomas Higher Education Certificate & Diplomas Bachelors Postgraduate Studies Graduation by Programme - 2020 52% 3% 9% 2% Total 2,000 1,750 1,500 1,250 1,000 750 500 250 0 20 16 2017 2018 2019 2020 Certificate Diplomas Trade Certificate & Diplomas Higher Education Certificate & Diplomas Bachelors Postgraduate Studies 42 GRADUATION BY GENDER Programme Certificate Diplomas Trade Certificate & Diplomas Higher Education Certificate & Diplomas Bachelors Postgraduate Studies 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Total 1,629 1,604 1,621 1,457 1,775 1,202
665 141 Total 1,629 1,604 1,621 1,457 1,775 1,202 1,794 1,425 1,998 1,714 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Certificate Diplomas Trade Certificate & Diplomas Higher Education Certificate & Diplomas Bachelors Postgraduate Studies 43 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FNU is the nation’s premier dual-sector University and is specifically mandated to meet the educational needs of those in the community requiring certificates and diplomas at the technical and trades level (TVET) and those who wish to pursue undergraduate and post- graduate degrees and doctoral studies.
In pursuing this mandate, there are a number of principles that guide FNU practice.

These are quality, relevance, flexible learning, student engagement, recognition, and internationalisation.

Quality is the hallmark of the FNU.

The University has a Quality Office dedicated to ensuring that programmes and courses are designed and delivered to the highest standards.
One important initiative that came to fruition in 2020 was the Teaching Excellence Award system which is just one of many programmes designed to encourage quality teaching.

In 2020, five of the most talented FNU teaching faculty were rewarded with the teaching excellence awards for their outstanding contribution to learning and teaching.

The Awards comprised one for each of the five College and one for the overall FNU Teacher of the Year Award.
In addition, 10 certificates of merit were awarded to excellent teachers.

The holders of the teaching awards and certificates of merit undertook to form a team of mentors who, along with future teaching excellence award and certificate of award winners, will be charged with mentoring new staff taking up faculty roles in FNU, especially those with minimal teaching experience.
2020 also saw the introduction of FNU Online, a cooperative venture between FNU and a boutique online platform operated by Crystal Delta who has a successful track record of offering professional fully online programmes and courses with such clients as the University of the South Pacific and RMIT University in Australia.

FNU Online was initiated as a response to the early stages of COVID-19 in Fiji when many professionals were displaced from their positions.
In response to the Ministry of Communications request, FNU undertook to assist such persons wherever possible and a fully online programme taken over two weeks was offered to the community free of charge that focused on essential computing and business skills for a new startup venture.

The programme attracted over 1,700 registrants of whom 75 per cent completed the programme.
Those registered graduated with either a Certificate of Prticipation by completing all but a business plan which was the culmination of the programme and, in most cases, a certificate of attainment on completion of the business plan.

The Certificate of Attainment carried with it eight credits towards further programmes in FNU.
One of the major achievements in 2020 was the production of the Academic Quality Assurance Manual (AQAM) which brought a comprehensive selection of policies and procedures related to academic quality under the one e-manual.

A manual of this type is a necessity for the accreditation of FNU academic programmes as well as the institution overall and also an expectation of the Fiji Higher Education Commission as it undertakes an institutional review of FNU in 2021 for re-registration purposes.
The launch of the AQAM at FNU will convey a commitment to academic quality that is one step towards the university’s ability to establish international credibility.
The Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning & Teaching (OPVC-L&T) is the central point for all the academic quality issues involving external/internal quality review preparations and activities designed to support a cycle of continuous quality improvement The manual was compiled, edited, and proofread by the FNU Quality Office and endorsed by the Academic Quality Assurance Committee and the Senate.
FNU has a Centre for Flexible and E-Learning (CFEL), staffed by highly skilled professionals who are leveraging digital developments to the full.

The Centre has a programme that aims to have all existing and future FNU courses available in the blended mode.

Considerable progress has been made in 2020 and will continue throughout 2021.
Aside from utilising the latest available technology, the movement to the blended learning mode of delivery is viewed as a means of improving FNU’s service to the community by providing greater access to the University’s programmes and courses in the more remote locations.
Much was learned during the wholesale move to online learning heralded by the COVID pandemic at its early stages and now that face to face teaching has resumed, the learning from the early COVID period has enabled FNU to further refine its blended learning approach.

A major strategic direction for FNU is international recognition.

In 2020, the University commenced an accreditation strategy.
The purpose of this is to ensure that the FNU moves closer to a situation in which international education recognises the merits of the University.
The process of accreditation continues with the College of Engineering Science and Technology (CEST) pursuing Engineering New Zealand accreditation for its bachelor and diploma engineering programmes, and the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) having attained accreditation for its Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science with the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists.
Also, the College of Humanities and Education (CHE) having engaged the New Zealand Academic Quality Agency (AQA) to quality assure its teacher education programmes is now working on implementing the suggestion made by the AQA.

This is to enable FNU teacher education programmes to qualify for full recognition in New Zealand.
In 2020, the 45 44 LEARNING AND TEACHING FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 46 College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies commenced a process of accreditation of its Executive Master of Business Administration programme with the UK AMBA.
Aside from international recognition, the major benefit of all these accreditation efforts from the Fiji community viewpoint is that employers can be satisfied that the graduates they employ have received an internationally recognised quality education in their various fields of study.

Finally, FNU is working diligently with international partners to ensure that as many students as are interested have an opportunity to study abroad for at least one semester.
FNU has an International Office that reports directly to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and this office is actively pursuing partnerships worldwide together with sponsorships that will enable students to engage in an international study experience that will be fully funded when travel restrictions are lifted.

This is all part of a desire to ensure that as many students of FNU as possible, graduate with an ability to work and engage with other cultures.
The above is just a brief overview of FNU priorities and developments in learning and teaching and the following sections describe initiatives in detail.

However, one aspect of learning and teaching that has not been specifically mentioned in this introduction but is nevertheless very important in understanding the ethos of the FNU is the fact that each programme offered by the University includes a practical component so that students can be ‘work ready’ when they enter the Fiji Community.
LEARNING & TEACHING ENHANCEMENT Since its establishment in 2019, CLTE has implemented several key initiatives for learning enhancement.
These are English Language Hub (ELH) – dedicated to helping FNU students from all disciplines and abilities to become more effective writers and communicators; Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) – free of charge, structured study sessions facilitated by peer students with a strong academic record; and Maths Help Hub (MH2), which in collaboration with the College of Engineering, Science & Technology, is a service to provide mathematics and statistics support and advice to students from all disciplines.
Furthermore, a First-Year Experience (FYE) initiative has several activities aimed at smooth transitioning of first-year students to FNU, that includes a mobile app designed to provide important information and updates to students and help organise their learning experiences; and Succeed@FNU, which is an online course designed to assist students to identify their potential to achieve their academic goals and become familiar with FNU’s expectations, regulations and support systems.
An online First Year Survival Guide provides key information on making it through the first year of University in areas where adjustment and socialisation in a new environment are crucial.

In addition, a Foundation Mathematics Proficiency Assessment (FMPA) is an optional, online diagnostic tool designed to help first-year students assess their mathematical skills.
Although it is not compulsory, every first-year student is encouraged to take advantage of this free-of-charge opportunity, and then they are most welcome to attend the MH2 if there are areas indicated in the assessment that require enhancement.

for There is also an International Student Mentorship Programme international students, whereby ‘mentors’ who are current FNU students, volunteer their time to help ‘mentees’ settle into University and life in Fiji.
This is also supplemented by an International Student Guide.

Some initiatives in progress are an Early Alert & Response Systems (EARS) – an online diagnostic and early intervention tool for teachers to identify students in need of additional assistance from the various support sections of FNU and student guides learning.
With regards to teaching for effective enhancement, initiatives include an online orientation module for new teachers to FNU; Communities of Practice (CoP) to share and disseminate good practices in teaching and technology-enabled learning; Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) – informing scholarly enquiry into student learning which advances the practice of teaching, as well as guides on effective teaching.
Regular workshops and webinars are also organised for students and teachers in support of learning enhancement and professional development.

More information on CLTE can be found at www.clte.

fnu.ac.fj FLEXIBLE & E-LEARNING Flexible & E-Learning activities at FNU as implemented through the Centre for Flexible & E-Learning (CFEL) continued to focus on the core areas of enhancing learner experiences, teacher development, the online learning environment and quality assurance.
In 2020, more than 50 courses were developed in blended and online mode, up approximately 80% from when CFEL commenced operations at FNU and the first lot of blended/online courses rolled out in 2019.

CFEL continues to apply quality audits to ensure that courses are properly developed in blended or online mode.

It is to be noted that flexibility was also applied to face to face mode courses in terms of online assessments, assignment choices and submission dates; more so in 2020 than 2019.
An overall atypical year due to the pandemic, activities were mostly virtual with an exponential growth in online support provided by the CFEL team for all teachers and students when the University closed.

Workshops for Teachers in Moodle, Turnitin (Introductory, Intermediate to Advanced) and Blended/Online course development continued with the Colleges, with most if not all courses having a Moodle presence.
A new dimension to the regular workshops was the introduction of virtual workshops for teachers on rapid flexible learning course development and online teaching.

More than 40 workshops and consultations were offered to teachers in the major campus locations around Fiji in 2020.

Over 500 teachers have now attended at least one workshop or consultation offered by CFEL.

In addition to the Colleges, greater participation by NTPC and TCF teachers in Moodle workshops was noted.
Mahara (ePortfolio assessments for practicums and industrial work attachments) continued in small pilot projects.

All teacher and student guides to support Moodle were revised for 2020 and are in line with the updated version of Moodle for FNU.

Regular Moodle updates were sent throughout the year to teachers, students, and Heads of Sections to reinforce flexible & e-learning and learning and teaching enhancement activities.
The new Moodle FAQ for Teachers was a much-welcomed resource with approximately 55% of Teachers at FNU having accessed the resource for assistance at least once.

A similar resource for students is projected for the 2021 release.

PROGRAMME DESIGN AND STANDARDS OFFICE New Programme Development A total of 13 new programmes were developed and approved by the FNU Senate of which three were Certificates, one Bachelor programme, seven Post Graduate Diplomas and two Masters programme.
The Programme Design and Standards Office vetted all the new programmes documents against national and international standards and programmes.

Short Course Development There were altogether 42 new short courses developed by Colleges and Centres which were approved by the Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Learning & Teaching.

All these new short course documents were vetted by the Programme Design and Standards Office against national and international standards and skillsets.
47 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The courses approved were mainly of TVET in nature targeted to the trades need areas for Fiji and the Region.

Nine of these TVET programmes developed were delivered to the College of the Marshall Islands under a franchised agreement via online delivery mode during the COVID pandemic lockdown in the region.
The remaining TVET short skillset focused on areas of renewable and solar energy commissioning and installation, food safety handling, cabinet making and joinery, category 5 cyclone resilient house construction, hybrid vehicle repair and maintenance, welding and fabrication, floriculture, garment construction, screen printing, ayurveda massage and facial treatment, room division management and management and leadership skills for hospitality and tourism professionals.
Programme Recording There were a total of 55 programmes submitted for Recording with the Fiji Higher Education Commission on the Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF) by the Fiji Qualifications Council (FQC).

Of the 55, 54 programmes have been recorded to date.

Of the 54 recorded in 2020, eleven were TVET programmes whilst remining were Higher Education Undergraduate Degrees and Post Graduate programmes.
the International Accreditations International Accreditation is one of the ongoing Key Performance the Programme Indicators of Development and Standards Office (PD&SO).

There are 2 levels of accreditation that the office currently engages in: Institutional accreditation and Programme Accreditation.
In this context, the first-ever accreditation of a Micro Qualification entitled “Plan and Manage Projects at the Workplace” by the Pacific Community, Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) has been a milestone achievement for FNU’s NTPC during the reporting period.In addition, one institutional accreditation and two programme accreditations are underway in 2020.
Monitoring and Compliance Since its establishment in 2019, the Monitoring and Compliance (M&C) section has implemented several significant initiatives for improvement in the learning and teaching boundaries at FNU.

The achievements include the development of FNU policies and procedures the university’s mission, reputation and operations.

The following policies namely moderation, plagiarism, assessment and the monitoring and compliance policy have been endorsed by the AQAC and approved by the Senate.
These policies to protect 48 aim to support management and inform third parties that the University seeks to address and communicate risk tolerance in its learning and teaching areas.
There have been several other activities undertaken by the section which involved visitations to the campus and meetings with Associate Deans Learning and Teaching to confirm that the delivery of the academic programmes was as per the design and the set standards and that the assessment methodologies and the quality assurance processes were intact and regularly monitored at the college level.
The CTE survey reports were received from the Institutional Research and Survey office (IRP) and analysed for improvement plans.

The improvement plans were implemented to monitor and evaluate the teachers requiring support for pedagogical development.

Course monitoring was an activity at the colleges that allowed the section to identify the gaps in the delivery and assessment patterns.
Upon the completion of the exercise, reports were generated for the respective colleges to institute actions for improvement and to ensure that the courses were made current and relevant.

In 2020, the section implemented an alternative to the suggestion Box Survey because of COVID-19 and the travel restrictions and it was renamed the “suggestion scheme”.
The suggestion scheme runs online via FNUPR for students to comment on the issues, gaps and challenges faced in accomplishing their aims and purpose for education at FNU.

The feedback from the students was captured in a summary of analysis and sent out to the respective Deans and Directors for their action.

The section monitored the progress on the actions through improvement action plans.
The peer observation scheme which is an ongoing exercise to enhance teacher quality was implemented in Semester 2, 2020.

The academic staff at all the colleges were encouraged to participate in the peer observation exercise to better their teaching methods.

The section encouraged the Heads of Schools (HOS) to keep a record of all the peer observations made at the school and the departmental (HOD) levels and to make the records available for monitoring as and when required.
Other successes included the Zoom workshops organised for academic staff in quality planning for learning and teaching.

A number of the university staff participated in the training and benefited from the highlights on teaching the new generation in the post- pandemic era and teaching in remote and making the new normal an exciting journey for academics.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, courses at FNU were for the first time delivered via online learning and teaching mode.
To monitor and evaluate the online teaching mode, the section conducted an online lesson delivery audit at the end of Semester 1, 2020.

The focus of the audit was to determine the challenges, resolve the difficulties and control the issues of online learning and teaching at FNU.
All the responses received were analysed using the Microsoft Excel application and the results/findings were used for the compilation of an audit report and an improvement plan that was circulated to the respective Colleges after the endorsement by the PVC-L&T.

The M&C section also received the Employability Survey Report for 2016 to 2018 in Semester 1, 2020.

The report captured findings for the College of Humanities and Education (CHE) and the College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (CAFF).
The document was analysed and the consequential report was sent out to the Deans with a recommendation for reviews of all the programmes.

Furthermore, the section conducted investigations of complaints concerning teaching staff.

The completed reports were submitted to the PVC- L&T for review and endorsement before being shared with the respective Deans for their necessary action.
Other than the monitoring and compliance duties, the section has been supporting and assisting with the work of establishing the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies and Sustainable Development.

49 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Research, innovation and translation are important for Fiji’s economic growth and national development.
FNU is an institution of influence fostering a research community defined by global connectedness and networks with national and international research peers.

FNU supports research in a broad range of areas relevant to Fiji in partnership with the government, industries, and international universities to transform our societies and economy.

The focus of our research at FNU is applied research, addressing issues pertinent to national development.
Research priority areas based on research strengths at FNU and the needs in Fiji include: • Health and Wellbeing • Agriculture • Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Science, Engineering and Climate Change • • Education, Social Science, Arts and Humanities • Business and Economics We provide an environment supportive of research to our researchers, collaborative research partners (Monash University, University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, Deakin University, University of Maryland, Otago University, World Health Organisation, United Nations, South Pacific Commission, our Ministries of Health & Medical Services, Education Heritage & Arts, Agriculture, and Forestry), and to our research students.
This report includes information on FNU’s research achievements, outcomes, and activities during 2020.
Research Publications in Ranked Journals During 2020 CEST CMNHS CAFF CBHTS CHE OPVCL&T Target Achieved No of papers in Ranked Journal Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Research Income from External Sources CEST CMNHS CAFF CBHTS CHE OPVCL&T FMA Target Achieved 51 No of Exter- nally Funded Projects $ Value of Re- search Income 0 4 5 0 0 1 1 - 11 0 $386,576.69 $138,535.04 0 0 $1,371,475.08 $231,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $2,127,586.81 Internally Funded Research Projects CEST CMNHS CAFF CBHTS CHE Target Achieved No of Internally Funded Projects $ Value of Research Income 0 0 4 5 $41,150.00 $58,150.00 0 0 1 $1,475.00 - - 6 $100,775.00 Research Mentoring Scheme A Research Mentoring Scheme was implemented in 2020 for early and mid-career researchers to be mentored by a Professor to help the researchers develop their research profiles.
Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) Programmes We offer PhD and Masters by Research programmes that are of international standards, meeting the requirements of Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) UK, Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC).

These programmes are structured for timely completions, entail research preparatory courses, and three milestones for monitoring progress and fostering excellence.

HDR Candidate Enrollment In 2020 31 PhD candidates.
19 Masters by Research candidates.

Of these, 27 were new HDR candidate enrolments, and 23 old HDR candidates transferred to the new HDR programmes.

50 RESEARCH FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 52 HDR Induction Programme To support our HDR candidates during the COVID-19 lockdown an online Induction Programme was developed.

This programme was posted on the research website, and distributed via email to all HDR candidates and their supervisors.
Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award Winners for 2020 The Vice-Chancellor’s Research Awards for 2020 were awarded in two categories, and the winners were: Dr Ravita Prasad, who won the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award in the category of Higher Degree by Research.
She completed her PhD on ‘Long Term Energy Planning’ with six Q1 journal publications, one peer-reviewed publication in a local journal, four international conference papers, and one poster presentation for which she won the first prize.

Her Scopus h-index was 5.

Her research work explored various possible scenarios for reducing future fossil fuel usage and GHG emissions in Fiji’s energy sector, considering the population increase while maintaining steady GDP growth.
The energy sector included grid electricity, land transport, domestic maritime transport, and domestic air transport.

Her Ph D work led her to be part of the team that authored a living document titled “Fiji’s Low Emission Development Strategy 2018-2050” that the Prime Minister presented to the world at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 23, in 2018.

Dr Alvin Lal won the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award in the category of Early Career Researcher.
Dr Alvin Lal completed his PhD on ‘Development of Sustainable Groundwater Management Methodologies to Control Saltwater Intrusion into Coastal Aquifers with application to a Tropical Pacific Island Country’ at James Cook University in Australia.

Dr Lal has to date published four Q1 journal papers, three Q2 journal papers, and 1 Q3 journal paper.

His Scopus h-index is 5.


As part of his PhD project, Dr Lal developed state-of-the-art 3D groundwater models (using Groundwater Modelling System Software) and water quality forecasting models using Artificial Neural Network, Genetic Programming, Support Vector Machines, Gaussian Process Regression, and Group Method of Data Handling algorithms for sustainable management of an aquifer system in Kiribati.
The application of Dr Lal’s 3D groundwater and forecasting models have been applied to sustainably manage groundwater resources in Kiribati, which has benefited the urban population of South Tarawa, Kiribati.

Dr Lal received the 2020 Deans Research Excellence Award at James Cook University in Australia for his PhD.

Research Policies, Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms for Research A full suite of policies, procedures, guidelines, and forms for research were approved by the Senate in December 2019.
RESEARCH SEMINARS AND WEBINARS 2020 RESEARCH SEMINARS 1.

2.

3.

4.

‘Higher education in Fiji and the Fiji National University – new directions and hopes for the future’, by Professor Nigel Healey on 18th March.

‘Infectious disease outbreaks research — insights and trends’, by Elsevier on 30th March.

‘Research Practice, Presentation, Publication and Application’, by Professor Sanjay Shukla on 13th February.
‘Advances in genomics and their application in crop improvement for food, health and nutrition of developing countries’, by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi –Arid Tropics on 14th May.

5.

Probabilistic Framework for Microsturcture- Sensitive Fatigue Design’, by Professor Gbadebo Owolabi from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, on 27th May.

6.

7.

8.

9.

‘COVID-19 Impact: Global Poultry and Egg purchases, behaviors by WATTAgNet and WATT’ Global Media, on 28th May.
‘Modelling habitat suitability and potential geographic distribution of the pink-billed parrot finch’, by Professor Todd Dennis on 10th June.

Dr Sofia Ali.

‘How to build an Inclusive Digital Workforce’, by Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) on 18th June.

‘Education system during the #COVID-19 pandemic’, by Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) on 25th June.

10.

‘Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics’, by Wiley Research APAC Webinars on 30th June.

11.
11.

‘Research Paradigms - A Talanoa with medical experts and researchers’, by Professor Unaisi Walu Nabobo Baba on 6th August.

12.

‘Exploring Sustainable Mangrove Management Policy for Community Wellbeing: Case Study of Nadroga & Nadi in Fiji’, by Mrs Salanieta Tuisuva Matai on Friday 14th August.

13.

‘Transformational Leadership in Higher Education’, by Professor James Pounder on 24th August.

14.
14.

‘Impact of Climate Change on Sustainable Livestock Production and Wildlife Species: A South Pacific Island Community Perspective’, by Professor Paul Iji on 28th August.

15.

‘Waste problems and its relation to waste mechanics’, by Dr B. P. Naveen on Wednesday 2nd September.

16.

‘Ranking journals and assessing researcher’s productivity’, by Dr Tibor Pasinszki on 25th September.

17.
17.

Managing Sponsored Research’, by Dr Rup Singh, Head of Economics, The University of the South Pacific, on 7th October 2020 18.

Narrative Methods in Humanities and Social Sciences Research’, by Professor Sky Marsen from Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, on 8th October 2020 via Zoom.

19.

Quantitative Research Design: Experimental and Non Experimental Surveys in Humanities and Social Sciences Research’, by Dr Taraivini Raiula and Dr Sofia Ali, on 22nd October 2020.

20.
20.

Applications of Genetics and Biotechnology in Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Science and Fisheries’, by Dr Pramod N. Nair, Assistant Professor in Genetics & Plant Breeding, on 23rd October 2020.

21.

‘Genomics and Biotech Applications in Forestry’, by Dr Chien-Chih Chen, Assistant Professor in Forestry, on 30th October 2020.

22.

‘Vermiculture for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Fiji Islands’, by Dr Sachchida N. Rai, Assistant Professor in Entomology, on 6th November 2020.

23.
23.

‘The Impact of Quantum Computing on Cryptography’, by Dr Maheswara Rao Valluri, Associate Professor in Mathematics, on 11th November 2020.

RESEARCH WEBINARS In 2020 the Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research (OPVCR) hosted the following webinars on Scopus and Scival in conjunction with Elsevier for FNU academics and HDR candidates: 1.

20th April - Stuff I don’t show - Overview Module 2.

27th April - Results are awesome - seek, and you shall find (Document Search) 3.
4th May - Can you send me that report again?

- Template reports PLUS Reporting module 4.

11th May - Tighten the search - facet panel, and export refine 5.

18th May - M stands for Momentum - Topics of Prominence and Trends Module 6.

25th May - Metrics Metrics Metrics - Citation Overview and Article level metrics 7.

1st June - 100,000 - that is the number – Topics 8.

9th June - What’s my name, what’s my name - Scopus Sources 9.

15th June - Drop bears and dropdowns - MySciVal Hierarchy 10.
22nd June - What’s my name, what’s my name (2) - Author Profiles 11.

29th June - On your mark - Benchmarking - your starting metrics 12.

6th July - Don’t hit snooze - setting alerts.

13.

13th July - Did you say donut -yes 5 of them 100,000 Topics(Overview) & Research Areas 14.

20th July - How big is this house?

- Affiliation profiling 15.

27th July - Finding the golden ticket - Benchmarking other metrics 16.

3rd August - This is an artform - advanced searching operators 17.
10th August - SciVal speed dating – collaboration 18.

17th August - This art form is harder than I thought - basic advanced searching 19.

24th August - Say my name, say my name - SciVal author profiles 20.

31st August - Savings savings, where is my Scopus bank account (lists and MyScopus) 21.

30th November - Best Practices for Publishing in Highly Selective Journals 22.

30th November - Best Practices in Reporting & Submitting Clinical Research to High Impact Journals 23.
1st December - How to Become a Successful Researcher At Every Stage of Your Career 24.

1st December - Light/Matter Interactions: Illuminating Materials and Researchers 25.

2nd December - How to prepare your manuscripts for publication in top journals 26.

2nd December - How to Publish with The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 27.

3rd December - Must-Know Tips for Publishing in Premium Journals 28.

3rd December - Authoring in The Lancet: Learn from the Editors 29.
4th December - New Trends and Future Directions in Catalysis 30.

4th December - Clinical Cases & Social Media: Tips & Techniques 31.

5th December - How to publish in groundbreaking Journal 32.
5th December - Techniques for Publishing in Transformative Ground-Breaking Journal 53 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The Office of Registrar administers and manages all operations of the Department of Admission and Registration, Department of Compliance and Assessment, Department of Student, Systems & Processes and Student Support Services which includes Campus and Student Life, Student Welfare and Counselling Services, Disability Services and Sports.
Furthermore, through the Department of Students Support Services, it collaborates with the Fiji National University Students’ Association (FNUSA), providing support and guidance to students to achieve their academic goals and aspirations.

UIMS BANNER PROJECT The University Information Management System (UIMS) project commenced in 2018 to streamline the admission, registration, and other student processes for all FNU students.
In 2020, once the system was operational, the Academic office used it to enrol students attending the National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC).

The services offered under the Banner system will extend to other Colleges in 2021.

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY (CPP) WORKSHOP A workshop on Child Protection Policy (CPP) and students, Disability was conducted online members of the Fiji National University Students’ Association and staff of the Technical College of Fiji.
The session’s presenters included Salote Kaimacuata the Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Pacific and representatives from the Registrar’s office.

The session was attended by 60 students and 86 staff.

for CPP ON MOODLE In collaboration with the Centre for Flexible and E-Learning, the Child Protection Policy (CPP) module was placed on the student learning platform Moodle.

By November, it was noted that 4,493 students had read through the material, which is 36% of the 12,370 enrolled students in 2020.
COUNSELLING SERVICES COVID-19 brought unique challenges as well as an opportunity to explore new ideas and initiatives for the FNU Counselling Services team to ensure the students and staff fully utilised its services.

The team used technology such as Zoom and Skype to reach out to those in need during the pandemic.

In some cases, students were able to call Counsellors to receive guidance and comfort.
Through this exercise, it was noted that while face to face counselling is beneficial, in times of lockdown, other forms of counselling can be equally effective.

Counselling Services partnered with the College of Nursing, Medicine and Health Sciences, FNU Students’ Association and Ministry of Health and Medical Services to mark World Mental Health Month.

A series of activities was organised between 21 September to 15 October in which approximately 723 students participated.
DISABILITY CENTRE Through the University’s commitment to providing equal and affordable access to education to all Fijians, FNU opened a newly established Disability Centre at the Nasinu Campus in February.

The designed-for- purpose facility will facilitate access and inclusion for students with disabilities and provide a safe, accessible space where students can interact and have a holistic learning experience.
The Centre is centrally located, adjacent to major teaching facilities, an administrative block and the food court.

The facility will benefit around twenty students with disabilities enrolled at FNU.

Moving forward, the Centre will also make provisions for Zoom services, which will allow students with disabilities to take their classes via video-conferencing.

This will provide relief to those students who are not able to attend their classes due to inaccessibility.
55 DISABILITY AWARENESS To create greater inclusion and awareness within the FNU student community, an online Disability Awareness workshop was conducted at Nasinu Campus.

The program was made available to students at Natabua Campus via Zoom.

A total of 20 participants attended the workshop which was conducted by FNU’s Disability section and a team from the Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOs).
Topics covered included: • How websites can be made accessible for persons with disability • Terms of address and communication tips for different types of impairments • Simple assistance and interaction strategies STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT It was a proud moment for the University community as two students with disabilities completed their studies and graduated in April.
One of the students received a Bachelor of Commerce Degree majoring in Management and Accounting and the other a Master of Commerce in Accounting.

54 STUDENTS FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 SPORTS Despite the cancellations of the 2020 Fiji University Sports Association (FUSA) Games due to COVID-19, the University was able to host the Inter-Campus Games under the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and Fiji Sports Council.
A total of 1298 students participated in rugby, five-a-side football, volleyball, and netball, which was played in male, female, and mixed categories.

OCEANIA SPORTS EDUCATION PROGRAM (OSEP) For the first time, the Oceania Sports Education Program was conducted via online mode.

There was great interest from students to participate in the event.

Through the program participants, strengthen their understanding of sports administration and develop sound managerial skills.
The students are awarded certificates from OSEP and Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) after completing the workshop.

One hundred students attended this program.

CV WRITING & MOCK INTERVIEW WORKSHOP The Placement Officer organised a series of Curriculum Vitae and Mock Interview workshops on the Zoom platform to assist students to prepare themselves when entering the job market.

Twenty-nine students participated in the workshop, which was held from May to July.
In August, a face to face session was organised for students with disabilities at the Nasinu Disability Centre in Nasinu.

Sixteen students attended this session.

ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM To keep students connected and discuss their experiences, thoughts and how they were fairing amidst the restrictions brought in by the COVID-19, a new initiative – the Online Discussion Forum – was held between June and August.

A total of 8 sessions was held, which attracted more than 60 students.
Some of the discussion topics included Online Learning Vs Classroom Learning, Home Schooling, Cashless Society and Technology & Stress in Modern Society.

56 AWARENESS ON ONLINE SAFETY ACT In September, a university-wide awareness was conducted on the Online Safety Act by the Online Safety Commission and Cyber Crimes Unit.

The awareness program held between 22 – 28 September was well attended by students.
ONLINE DEBATE COACHING WORKSHOP Debate competition is organised annually at FNU; however, due to restrictions, this inter-campus activity was cancelled.

Instead, an online debate coaching workshop was organised which was attended by 12 students.
The workshop focused on the following areas: • Understand the basic skills and structure of debating • Ability to critically analyse arguments and • rebuttals Increase in self-confidence, poise and self- esteem UNICLINIC As part of FNU’s commitment to staff wellness, a university-wide health screening exercise was undertaken to advise staff on NCD (non-communicable diseases) prevention.
During September and mid-October, the UniClinic organised a Wellness, Sexual Health, STI, HIV, Hepatitis A and Pap Smear Screening in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

This was incorporated into the month-long program for Mental Health Month organised by the FNU Counselling Services.
Together with free assistance offered by the Sexual and Reproductive Health Centre and the various Health Centre outreach teams, screening was carried out for all 13 FNU Campuses in the central, western and northern divisions.

Of the total 798 screening, 529 were students.


57 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 • The College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) Psychiatry team engaged with media organisations to create greater awareness, address issues surrounding anxiety and fear and discussed ways of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team also conducted Mental Health talks on stress management with schools and organisations such as the Fiji Institute of Accountants, Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and the Fiji Dental Association.

• CMNHS, through a partnership with the St. Vincent’s Pacific Health Fund, received a grant of AUD 10,000, and with the first tranche of funding, the College donated telehealth equipment to the Saint Giles Hospital.
The items included screens, teleconference equipment, tablets, recharge cards and headphones.

The handover also marked the Fiji Mental Health Telehealth initiative’s launch, a project to catalyse better engagement with remote and rural health services in providing essential mental health services to communities that are deprived due to geographical barrier.
cameras, • FNU’s Counselling Services, School of Medical Sciences clinical faculty, students, and Saint Giles hospital staff engaged in weekly online mental health sessions.

The sessions also involve regional mental health professionals from other Pacific Islands.

This initiative strengthens collaboration and fosters knowledge and experience sharing on a wide range of mental health and other related issues.
• Year 4 Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) students provided over 100 boxes of clothes to Saint Giles Hospital patients.

This was an initiative the FNU students came up with during their seven weeks of psychiatry block attachment at the psychiatric hospital.

As a kind gesture of giving back to the community, the student group wanted to show their appreciation for their cooperation from the patients and staff at the Saint Giles Hospital during their attachment.
• CMNHS celebrated Pinktober at the School of Nursing with a special event attended by students, staff, and community members.

The annual event aims to create greater awareness of the importance of early presentation and seeking proper medical care.

Guest speakers comprising of medical experts and cancer survivors were also part of the event who spoke about their experiences.
• To encourage food security and pass on traditional planting knowledge, the College of Humanities and Education (CHE) staff have undertaken a Yam farming project.

This project received wide publicity through the local media as it promoted backyard gardening, health and wellness activities.

Given that the climate change phenomenon has a broad devastating impact in the Pacific, sustainable farming and food security knowledge are important to be shared in the community.
The involvement of students, especially those undertaking teacher in knowledge transfer to training will assist community members as well as school students.

• Natabua Campus staff contributed to the Batiri Flood Donation Drive for families in Vanua Levu who were severely affected by TC Yasa.
The College managed to sort and pack five stripe bags of women, men and kids clothing (sorted), one plastic bag of linen and hand towels, one plastic bag of shoes, bags and baby blankets, two boxes of pots, pans, lunch boxes, water bottles and cutleries, one bag of sanitary pads, toothpaste and toothbrush and one bag of cleaning agents.

• Through the Labasa Campus community project, three rubbish bins were donated to Dreketi market vendors.
The bins were received by Labasa Town Council CEO Sumeet Prasad and Special Administrator Doreen Robinson at the Dreketi Market Centre.

The rubbish bins were provided to the market centre as we found that the area was usually littered with rubbish.

The ‘Clean Dreketi’ project was spearheaded by CHE staff and Labasa Head of Campus Pardeep Lal and assisted by NTPC staff and students.
• The third climate change club was established at Naleba College in Labasa in October, consisting of 40 climate change enthusiasts and teachers from the school.

The students were divided into four groups: education and awareness, composting, sorting out rubbish, plastic and papers and tree planting activities.

The students carried out the activities at the school level, guided by their teachers.

FNU Labasa Campus, which initiated the project, provided technical support and assistance.
The activities will continue in 2021.

The other two schools where climate change clubs are already established at are Waiqele College (2018) and Bulileka College (2019).

• The College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS), along with CHE, co-organised the Pinktober Breast Cancer Awareness campaign at Nasinu and Namaka campuses and raised funds for the Fiji Cancer Society.
The Head of Campus Lautoka, Mrs Vidya Singh, donated 10 meters of pink material to the neighbouring community to raise greater awareness.

The Natabua Police Post, Natabua Primary School and Fiji Women Corrections Centre in Natabua, Lautoka were a few places where they were delivered as part of the Pinktober campaign.

• CBHTS organised a special lunch for the Old Peoples Home occupants in Samabula, Suva and Natabua, Lautoka as part of its community service.
The staff also spent time meeting the residents and hearing their stories and experiences and uplifted their morale.

This activity was organised in June 2020.

59 58 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FNU is committed to achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its research, learning and teaching.
The SDGs aim to address 17 key global issues and are interconnected, many of which are relevant to the University’s core operations.

SDG Goal 4, which highlights the need for quality education, also aligns with the institution’s aim to be the premier national University providing quality and relevant higher education, technical and vocational education and training, research and development in Fiji.
FNU has contributed to addressing various SDG Goals in 2020 through the following key projects and activities: GOAL 3 GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING Suva-Nausori corridor.

The students worked on a volunteer basis and assisted the Ministry to conduct temperature checks and carry out awareness talks on COVID-19 precautionary measures.
FNU remains committed to providing quality learning, teaching and research as well as support services to students, staff and communities to ensure their goodhealth and wellbeing through education and awareness activities.

GOAL 4 QUALITY EDUCATION 61 • FNU conducted the country’s first-ever Virtual Open Day in 2020.
The event was a customised online event that provided potential students with an opportunity to hear from academic counsellors on study opportunities offered at FNU and the various career pathways students can pursue after graduation.

All enquiries are answered through the live chat feature on the FNU website or email within minutes by University staff.

More than 90 secondary schools and around 1500 individuals participated in the week-long event.
• Following the devastating economic and social impacts caused by COVID-19, FNU introduced the flexible fee payment option, enabling students to pursue their academic aspirations whilst paying their fees in agreed instalments.

FNU also removed late enrolment fees to ease the burden on students.

• FNU’s National Training and Productivity Centre expanded its services in the region by providing specialised training in selected programmes via an e-learning platform.
NTPC formalised a partnership with the College of the Marshall Islands (CMI) and delivered a range of programmes that consisted of all three modules of the Training of Trainers programme, short courses in plumbing and construction, electrical and electronics, welding and a specialised trade test and apprenticeship programme.
There were also three basic Information Technology courses in Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy and Culinary Arts courses, and the rural training under NTPC’s Community Alternative Learning.

As Fiji’s national university, FNU provides holistic learning with programmes undergoing regular review in consultation with industry partners, international higher education institutions to ensure it meets local and global standards.
• Forty-three Bachelor of Public Health final-year students undertook a community profiling exercise in informal settlements in Suva and Lami to better understand residents’ challenges and promote safe health practices.

The 5-week exercise was part of the students’ Community Health Needs Assessment course and is conducted in partnership with Save the Children Fiji and Reproductive and Family Health Association of Fiji.
Students were divided into 9 groups and assigned to communities to strengthen the partnership and facilitate community empowerment.

In cooperation with the communities, the students identified health, social and cultural problems using community need assessment tools.

• Year 2 students of the Bachelor Dietetics and Nutrition programme accompanied by three staff members conducted a community visit to Vatoa Village in Tailevu to help fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
The group conducted a pretest health assessment at the village during a prior visit and planned a nutrition intervention program in their return visit.

The activities included role plays, food preparation demonstrations, nutrition education, and physical education sessions.

Colgate Palmolive also conducted a tooth brushing drill to promote healthy teeth as part of healthy living.

The outreach activity was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
• Twenty-nine Midwifery students and 16 academic staff from the nursing school provided workforce assistance to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to conduct COVID-19 screening in the 60 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 GOAL 5 GENDER EQUALITY Through internal and external collaborations, FNU seeks to address Goal 6 to ensure communities have easy and safe access to clean water.
GOAL 8 DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH • FNU initiated the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC), and human rights compulsory staff training in 2020, facilitated by the DIVA for Equality organisation.

The training was done at all campuses and centres and will continue into 2021.

This exercise is aligned with the University’s aim to remain progressive in its learning, teaching, and training delivery.
62 FNU strives to provide opportunities to empower its female staff in achieving gender parity in pay and gender balance by academic rank and managerial seniority.

It also takes pride in being at the forefront of promoting females in subjects and careers that are male-dominated.

GOAL 6 CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION The industrial attachment course component in FNU’s programmes ensure students are taught and trained in a real-life work environment.
This enables students to be well-equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge in the field of work they are pursuing.

FNU strives to ensure all its graduates are day one work-ready when they graduate and join the workforce.

The University also encourages entrepreneurship through its courses, which is a key target of Goal 8.
GOAL 9 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE • FNU in collaboration with the University of Sydney, Edith Cowan University, Ministry of Health and Medical Services Fiji, Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Health Organization (WHO) participated in a week-long mid-term review workshop for the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health (WISH) project.
WISH is a three- year project that was awarded an AUD 2.01M grant by the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia in July 2018, which seeks to optimise water, sanitation and catchment management, improve outbreak response and minimise the impact of water-borne diseases in Fiji.

FNU is a partner of the RISE Project through research and data collection and analysis.
• Over a hundred professionals from the public and private sector participated in the 2020 National Conference on Information Technology organised by FNU’s National Training and Productivity Centre.

The conference created an avenue for ICT professionals, academics, vendors and students to build a comprehensive network to discuss the latest ICT trends and solutions.

• FNU began the rollout of the Banner Student Module in 2020, making the admission and registration process of students more efficient.
This module is part of the University Information Management System (UIMS), which is a unified information system acquired by the University to integrate its different enterprise systems into a common platform.

The Banner Finance system was also launched in 2020 and provides real-time data relating to budgets for colleges and other sections of FNU.

It enables users to manage their procurement process better.
and digital infrastructure technology These developments and partnership address Goal 9’s need to develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, increase access to information and communications technology, and support domestic technology development, research and innovation.

GOAL 10 REDUCED INEQUALITIES green project is a forward-looking initiative that is expected to be replicated in other campuses in the future.
The 250 kilowatts solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with roof and ground-mounted systems to generate clean energy and minimise expenditure was commissioned in June 2020, and the ground- mount system is specifically set up to provide students with an opportunity to learn more about how the system works.

In order to teach and promote sustainability, FNU will first practice these measures through its resources and facilities in order to drive the need for sustainable design and innovation.
GOAL 15 LIFE ON LAND • A new designed-for-purpose Disability Centre was opened at Nasinu Campus.

It will facilitate access and inclusion for students with disabilities and provide a safe, accessible space where students can interact and have a holistic learning experience.

The centre is centrally located, being adjacent to major teaching facilities, an administrative block and the food court.

The facility will benefit around twenty students with disabilities currently enrolled at FNU.
FNU will continue to provide inclusive education to all Fijians regardless of race, age, gender, or abilities.

GOAL 11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES • Up to 80% of FNU’s Namaka Campus in Nadi is powered by green energy, following a 250 kilowatts solar project.

The University’s first large scale 63 • CHE’s Natabua Campus is dedicated to preserving our environment with our partners – the Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Lautoka City Council, HFC Bank and the local vanua of Lauwaki.
Every Wednesday, staff and students wore green to mark ‘Environment Day’ and also participated in clean-up campaigns and gardening activities.

Compost bins were placed in the dining hall and kitchen areas for green waste that was turned into compost for the students’ gardens.

Green waste included fruits and vegetable peelings, leaves, branches and other organic matter.
Recycle bins were labelled and installed around the Campus mainly for plastics (plastic bottles, plastic bags, containers and hard plastics).

Two large cartons were also clearly labelled and installed at the B block’s ground level near the security booth for plastic bottles and plastic bags, wrappings, and containers.

This was to minimise our plastic waste in the landfills.
The Campus has also allocated wastepaper cartons around the Campus for the paper recycling project in partnership with South Pacific Waste Recyclers.

Through its various campuses and collleges, FNU is involved in activities that protect our environment on land and sea.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 64 FINANCIALS For the Year Ended 31 December 2020 CONTENT Directors Overview Statement by Appointed Officers Council’s report Auditors’ Independence declaration Independent auditor’s report Statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income Statement of financial position Statement of changes in equity Statement of cash flows Notes to the financial statements Disclaimer on additional information Statement of comprehensive income - restricted vs. unrestricted income 66 69 70 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 112 113 65 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2020 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW INCOME EXPENDITURE The Fiji National University recorded operating surplus for the year, achieving an operating surplus of $7.4m compared to $0.3m surplus projected in the budget and compared to $6.1m deficit in 2019.
The operating surplus is mainly due to savings in employee related expenses and other operating expenses.

The restricted items (such as capital expenditure grants, donor/project income and expenditure, 10% of tuition fees set aside for capital development purposes, Levy Income and Grant payment expenses) if excluded, the University recorded an operating surplus of $1.4m in 2020 compared to a surplus of $2.4m (excluding government grant provision) in 2019.
During the year, the net assets increased by $7.4m, from $309.9m in 2019 to $317.3m in 2020.
The key highlights for the 2020 financial year are as follows: 2020 $m 2019 $m Change $m Change % 158.2 176.8 (18.6) -10.5% 150.8 182.9 (32.1) -17.5% 7.4 (6.1) 13.5 220.3% 6.0 12.3 (6.3) -51.4% Operating Revenue Operating Expenses Operating Surplus Adjusted for: Restricted Items 1.4 (18.4) 19.9 107.7% FNU Operating Surplus 2017 $M 2016 66 DIRECTOR’S OVERVIEW Income for 2020 decreased by 10% to $158.2m from $176.4m in 2019.

Not all components of income have decreased.


There was an increase in student tuition fees by 8.1% to $71.3m from $65.9m in 2019.

This can be attributed to tuition fees received from Technical College of Fiji (TCF) students.

However, the major components which showed decrease to income were:  Government Grant which decreased by 21.1% to $48.5m.
This was greatly attributed to cut in Government funding due to Covid 19 and in 2019 grant was received for UIMS (University Information Management System) project which was one-off.

 Project Income decreased by 69.7% to $1.1m from $3.7m in 2019.

This is largely due to slow utilisation of donor funds and reduction in Sustainable livelihood project (SLP) grant.

 Hostel Income decreased by 53.3% to $3.3m from $7.2m in 2019.

This was mainly due to unbundling of meal from accommodation.
 Other Income comprising of consultancy income, enrolment fees, dividend income, project income and finance income has decreased by 30.8% to $10.0m from $14.4m in 2019.

I ncome from tuition fees at 45% remains the highest percentage of revenue source for the University.

There is a continued growth of income from government grants over the last 5 years.

Tuition income and government grant contribute approximately 75.7% of the revenue source for the University.
Revenue source for University Total operating expenses decreased by 17.5% in 2020.

The operating cost decreased by 48.7% and personnel cost decreased by 2.5%.

The major decrease in operating cost was due to decrease in provision as $20.7m provision was provided on outstanding government grant for 2018/2019 period in 2019.
Other components that shows decrease in operating expenses were:  Employee related expenses decreased by 2.5% to $77.3m from $79.3m in 2019, mainly due to recruitment freeze on vacant positions.

 Course related expenses decreased by 26.0% to $3.1m from $4.1m in 2019.

The decrease was due to Covid-19 impact as classes were offered online and reduction in WHT and VRC charges.

 Licence fees decreased by 32.9% to $4.1m from $6.1m in 2019.

The decrease was due to reduction in WHT and VRC charges.
 Repairs and maintenance decreased by 65.6% to $2.9m from $8.5m in 2019.

This was mainly due to Covid-19 as some of the repairs and maintenance were deferred.
University Expenditure 2020 51% 25% 16% 8% Personnel Cost Non Personnel Cost 2019 23% 40% 10% 6% Levy Expenses 0 20 40 60 80 100 Depreciation % of Total Expenditure 67 45% 2 1 15% 6% CASH FLOW AND FINANCING 2020 2019 31% 35% 37% 2% 4% 13% 8% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % of Total Revenue Government Grant Student Tuition Fees Project Income Hostel Fees Levy Income Other Income The University generated $28.3m of net cash flow from the operating activities, compared to $17.1m in 2019.
The increase is largely attributed to increase in receipt from student fees slower payment to suppliers.

The University spent $26.5m on capital expenditure.

Overall, there was a net increase in cash and cash equivalent of $12.7m compared to a net increase of $1.2m in 2019.

FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The available cash reserve at the end of the year was adequate to operate the University for 7.0 months, above the required 3 months of reserve.
This is masked by capital projects scheduled in 2021.

This will be below the required reserve if the University deploys all the resources allocated for its capital developments and projects.

FINANCIAL POSITION The University’s financial position remains strong as at 31st December 2020, with its net assets of $317.3m, a slight increase of 2% compared to 2019 of $309.9m.

The Capital Assets of $286.3m includes investment in land, buildings and equipment and represents 68.8% of the University’s total assets.
The increase in total assets is mainly due to new capital projects, such as Labasa Campus, CBHTS office, fitness centre and maritime campus.

The increase in non-current assets from 2018 was driven by increase in new capital projects, such as Labasa Campus, CBHTS office, fitness centre and maritime campus.

Liabilities increased as well for the same period due to provisions and accruals.
FINANCIAL TARGETS AND RATIOS The financial performance of the University is benchmarked against certain ratios with the goal of ensuring long term financial sustainability of the University.

Generally, all the ratios and targets have been achieved by the university in 2020.
Ratio Type Financial Ratio B/ mark 2020 2019 Financial Viability Operating Surplus 5% 4.67% -3.48% Core Earnings Net Cash from Op- erations Liquidity Ratio Quick Ratio Interest Coverage Return on Long Term Assets Cash Margin Cash Availability 11% 11.64% 2.20% 115% 119.61% 110.83% 16% 57% 50% 1.5x 1.63 1.35 3x 48.32 (34.10) 6% 6.84% 1.57% 110% 143% 90% 16% 56% 48% Financial Sustain- ability Cash CONCLUSION AND FURTHER OUTLOOK The 2020 financial result shows that the University continue to improve its financial performance.
It will continue to exist as a going concern and remains sustainable over the long term.

The position might change if there is a significant change to its main revenue sources.
F I J I N A T I O N A L U N V E R S I T Y I 68 A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 2 0 Nilesh Prasad Director Finance STATEMENT BY APPOINTED OFFICERS For the year ended 31 December 2020 In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements give a true and fair view of the financial position of the Fiji National University as at 31 December 2020 and of its financial performance for the year ended on that date.
We are not aware of any circumstances which would render any particulars included in the financial statements misleading or inaccurate.

Dated at Suva, this 20th day of May 2021.
Ms. Tessa Price Chancellor & Chair of Council Dr. Nur Bano Ali Chair, Financial Resources Committee Nilesh Prasad Director Finance F I J I N A T I O N A L U N V E R S I T Y I 69 A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 2 0 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COUNCIL’S REPORT For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COUNCIL’S REPORT Continued For the year ended 31 December 2020 In accordance with a resolution of the Council of the Fiji National University, the Council members herewith submit the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020 and report as follows: Council Members The names of the Council members in office at the date of this report were: Title Appointment Term Official Member / Chancellor & Chair of Council Appointed 13/01/2020 Name Ms. Tessa Price Dr. Nur Bano Ali Prof. Toby Wilkinson Dr. Anjeela Jokhan Appointed Member/ Deputy Chancellor Official Member / Vice Chancellor Official Member / PS Ministry of Education Prof. Dharmendra Sharma Appointed Member Ms. Lala Sowane Mr. Raymond Prasad Prof. Barry McGrath Dr. Joseph Veramo Dr. Penuel Immanuel Prof. Ravi Naidu Mr. Devanesh Sharma Mr. Vishnu Mohan Mr. Gordon Jenkins Prof. John Chelliah Prof. Unaisi Baba 70 Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Appointed Member Re-Elected Professorial Rep. Elected Deans Rep. Mr. Vilive Cagivinaka Elected Non-Professorial Rep. Mr. Mohammed Igbal Elected Postgraduate Student Rep. Mr. James Koroitubuna Elected Undergraduate Student Rep.
Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 04/01/2021 Appointed 08/11/2020 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Appointed 29/04/2019 Elected 01/08/2020 Elected 01/08/2020 Elected 01/08/2020 Elected 21/11/2020 Elected 21/11/2020 Formation of Fiji National University Fiji National University (“the University”) was established by the Fiji National University Decree 2009 (latter amended as the Fiji National University (Amendment) Decree 2010) (“the FNU Decree”).
This was further amended in 2018 as the Fiji National University (Amendment) Act 2018 (“the FNU Act”).

Principal Activities The principal activities of the University are the provision of post-secondary programs of study in higher education, technical, vocational education and training that are responsive to the needs of industry, the market place and non- formal sector of employment to students from Fiji and other countries in the South Pacific region.
Results The operating surplus for the financial year was $7,392,156 (2019: operating loss of ($6,146,486)).

Bad and Doubtful Debts Prior to the completion of the University’s financial statements, the Council members took reasonable steps to ascertain that action has been taken in relation to the recording of provision for doubtful debts.

In the opinion of Council members, adequate provision has been made for doubtful debts.
As at the date of this report, the Council members are not aware of any circumstances, which would render the amount written off for bad debts, or the provision for doubtful debts in the University’s financial statements, inadequate to any substantial extent.
Non-Current Assets Prior to the approval of the financial statements of the University, the Council members took reasonable steps to ascertain whether any non-current assets were unlikely to realise in the ordinary course of business their values as shown in the accounting records of the University.

Where necessary, these assets have been written down or adequate provision has been made to bring the values of such assets to an amount that they might be expected to realise.
The Council believes that all property, including leasehold land, has been vested into the University under the FNU Act.

However, the Council notes that the finalisation of boundaries and allocations of land leases to certain properties have not been completed as at the date of this report.

As a result, these financial statements include a number of estimates as explained in Note 13.
The Council has made every effort to complete this process and is confident that the transfer of this remaining property will be finalised as per the FNU Act.

Apart from the above, as at the date of this report, the Council members are not aware of any circumstances, which would render the values attributed to non-current assets in the University’s financial statements misleading.
71 The Council notes that at the end of 2020 and at the date of this report, the University is in discussion with the following Ministries regarding outstanding grant payments to the University that were initially pledged but not paid to the University during the 2010 financial year: 1) Ministry of Health - $563,602 ($500,000 for Fiji School of Medicine (FSM) 4th quarter grant & $63,602 short payment for Fiji School of Nursing (FSN) Grant); and 2) Ministry of Agriculture $100,000 - short payment for Fiji College of Agriculture (FCA) Grant.
These amounts have not been recorded as receivables in the financial statements.

Significant Events As at date of this report, the Council members are not aware of any other significant event, other than those already included in the financial statements.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COUNCIL’S REPORT Continued For the year ended 31 December 2020 Events Subsequent to Balance Date There are no matters or circumstances that have arisen since the end of the financial year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the University, the results of those operations, or the state of affairs of the University in future financial years.
The University has taken measures to minimise the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue its operation as normal.

The University continues to monitor the Covid-19 pandemic situation and will take further action as necessary in response to the economic disruption.

Other Circumstances As at the date of this report: i. ii.

iii.
no charge on the assets of the University has been given since the end of the financial year to secure the liabilities of any other person; no contingent liabilities have arisen since the end of the financial year for which the University could become liable; and no contingent liabilities or other liabilities of the University has become or is likely to become enforceable within the period of twelve months after the end of the financial year which, in the opinion of the Council members, will or may substantially affect the ability of the University to meet its obligations as and when they fall due.
Auditor’s Independence Declaration to the Council of Fiji National University As lead auditor for the audit of Fiji National University for the financial year ended 31 December 2020, I declare to the best of my knowledge and belief, there have been: (a) no contraventions of the auditor independence requirements in relation to the audit; and (b) no contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit.
This declaration is in respect of Fiji National University for the financial year.

72 As at the date of this report, the Council members are not aware of any circumstances that have arisen, not otherwise dealt with in this report or the University’s financial statements, which would make adherence to the existing method of valuation of assets or liabilities of the University misleading or inappropriate.
Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants 73 No Council member has received or become entitled to receive a benefit (other than those disclosed in the financial statements) by reason of a contract made by the University or by a related corporation with the Council member or with a firm of which he/she is a member, or with an entity in which he/she has a substantial financial interest, except members who have a contract of employment with the University.
For and on behalf of the Council and in accordance with a resolution of the Council members.

Dated at Suva, this 20th day of May 2021.
Sikeli Tuinamuana Partner Suva, Fiji 20 May, 2021 Ms. Tessa Price Chancellor & Chair of Council Dr. Nur Bano Ali Chair, Financial Resources Committee A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 To the Council of the Fiji National University Report on the Audit of the Financial Statements Report on the Audit of the Financial Statements (continued) Responsibilities of the University Council and management for the Financial Statements continued Opinion We have audited the financial statements of the Fiji National University (“the University”), which comprise the statement of financial position as at 31 December 2020, the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, the statement of changes in equity and the statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies.
In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements give a true and fair view of the financial position of the University as at 31 December 2020, and of its financial performance and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”).

Emphasis of Matter Without qualifying the opinion expressed above, we draw attention to the following: 1.
Note 13 of the financial statements describes the uncertainty related to the finalization of the transfer of lease arrangements to the University in respect of certain leasehold land assets that were vested in the University under the Fiji National Decree 2009 (as amended by the Fiji National University (Amendment) Decree 2010).

The transfer of these lease arrangements has not been completed at the date of approval of these financial statements.
74 Basis for Opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (ISA).

Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of our report.
We are independent of the Company in accordance with the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountant’s Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (IESBA Code) together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in Fiji and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements and the IESBA Code.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Other Information The Council are responsible for the other information.

The other information comprises the Council’s Report but does not include the financial statements and the auditor’s report thereon.

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information identified above and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained during the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.

If, based upon the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.

Responsibilities of the University Council and management for the Financial Statements The University Council and management are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with IFRS, and for such internal control as the University Council and management determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the University Council and management are responsible for assessing the University‘s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the University Council and management either intend to liquidate the University or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
The University Council and management are responsible for overseeing the University’s financial reporting process.

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion.
Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISA will always detect a material misstatement when it exists.

Misstatements can arise from fraud and error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with ISA, we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.

We also: 75 • Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control; • Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control; • Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management; • Conclude on the appropriateness of the University Council and management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the University‘s ability to continue as a going concern.
If we conclude that material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures, are inadequate, to modify our opinion.

Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report.
However, future events or conditions may cause the University to cease to continue as a going concern; and • Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
We communicate with the University Council and management regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Report on the Audit of the Financial Statements (continued) Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements (continued) We also provide the University Council and management with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding independence, and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements In our opinion, the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Fiji National University Decree 2009 in all material respects, and; a) we have been given all information, explanations and assistance necessary for the conduct of the audit; and b) the University has kept financial records sufficient to enable the financial statements to be prepared and audited.
76 Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants Sikeli Tuinamuana Partner Suva, Fiji 20 May, 2021 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the year ended 31 December 2020 Income Fiji Government operating grant Student tuition fees Project income Hostel income NTPC levy income Other income Total income Expenses Employee related expenses Other operating expenses Depreciation and amortisation NTPC levy expenses Gross (loss)/gain on change in fair value of equity instruments Total expenses Interest expense Finance income Operating Surplus/(loss) before income tax Income tax expense Operating surplus/(loss) for the year Notes 6 7 9 27(b) 8 10 11 13,15 27(b) 12 3(I) 2020 $ 48,489,178 71,298,293 1,126,705 3,363,038 23,981,921 5,835,798 2019 $ 61,437,777 65,946,525 3,716,050 7,199,877 23,657,800 9,702,854 154,094,933 171,660,883 (77,332,587) (35,661,526) (11,871,065) (23,813,174) (79,284,387) (74,950,200) (11,475,987) (18,434,641) (2,002,983) 1,392,278 (150,681,335) (182,752,937) 77 (156,212) 4,134,770 7,392,156 (175,096) 5,120,664 (6,146,486) - - 7,392,156 (6,146,486) Other comprehensive income - - Total comprehensive income for the year 7,392,156 (6,146,486) A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited The accompanying notes form an integral part of this Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION As At 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY For the year ended 31 December 2020 78 Current assets Cash and cash equivalents Trade and other receivables Inventories Other financial assets Other assets Total current assets Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment Biological assets Intangible assets Right-of-use assets Other financial assets Total non-current assets Total assets Current liabilities Trade and other payables Employee benefits Lease liability Deferred income Deferred levy liability Total current liabilities Non-current liabilities Deferred income Lease liability Unexpended project income Total non-current liabilities Total liabilities Net assets Equity Other contributed equity Retained earnings Notes 13(ii) 14 15 13(i) 19 23 24 26 22 27 22 26 25 2020 $ 52,918,145 12,170,686 342,676 62,134,097 2,518,908 2019 $ Other contributed equity $ Retained earnings $ Total equity $ Balance at 1 January 2019 188,856,243 127,180,320 316,036,563 Comprehensive income for the year Operating loss for the year Movement in fair value of available for sale financial assets - - - - - (6,146,486) (6,146,486) - - Total comprehensive income for the year 188,856,243 121,033,834 309,890,077 Transactions with owners of the University, recognised directly in equity - - - Balance at 31 December 2019 188,856,243 121,033,834 309,890,077 Balance at 1 January 2020 188,856,243 121,033,834 309,890,077 79 Comprehensive income for the year Operating surplus - - - - 7,392,156 7,392,156 Total comprehensive income for the year 188,856,243 128,425,990 317,282,233 Balance at 31 December 2020 188,856,243 128,425,990 317,282,233 The accompanying notes form an integral part of this Statement of Financial Position.
The accompanying notes form an integral part of this Statement of Changes in Equity.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2020 Cash flows from operating activities Fiji Government grants received Receipts from employers in respect of levy Receipts from student fees Receipts from trading activities Payments to suppliers Payments to employees Payments of training grants to employers Cash receipts in respect of projects Interest received Note 2020 $ 57,859,897 23,907,673 77,876,643 4,883,612 (44,816,632) (75,717,948) (23,813,174) 2,226,845 5,895,354 2019 $ 58,813,956 25,717,152 74,300,132 10,608,097 (60,166,472) (78,919,278) (18,434,641) 1,257,767 3,886,507 Net cash flow from operating activities 28,302,270 17,063,220 Cash flows from investing activities Fiji Government capital grants received Net payments for property, plant and equipment 80 Net transfers from term deposits Dividends received Net cash flow used in investing activities 8,225,703 17,830,529 (26,458,678) (35,311,781) 2,611,691 22,045 1,608,936 25,227 (15,599,239) (15,847,089) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 12,703,031 1,216,131 Cash and cash equivalents as at 1 January 40,215,114 38,998,983 Cash and cash equivalents as at 31 December 16 52,918,145 40,215,114 The accompanying notes form an integral part of this Statement of Cash Flows.
1.

Reporting Entity Fiji National University (the “University” or “FNU”) was established by the Fiji National University Decree 2009 (latter amended as the Fiji National University (Amendment) Decree 2010) (“FNU Decree”) to serve the needs of the post-secondary educational requirements for the Republic of Fiji.

This was further amended in 2018 as the Fiji National University (Amendment) Act 2018.

The address of the University’s registered office is Lot 1, 5 ½ miles Nasinu, Fiji.

2.
2.

Basis of preparation a).

Statement of compliance The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the requirements of the FNU Act.

The financial statements were approved by the University’s Council on 15th May 2021. b).
Basis of measurement The financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis except for available-for-sale financial assets that are measured at fair value.

The accounting policies have been consistently applied by the University.

Functional and presentation currency The financial statements are presented in Fiji dollars, which is the University’s functional currency, and are rounded to the nearest dollar.

81 c).
81 c).

Use of estimates and judgments The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses.

Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimates are revised and in any future periods affected.
Information about critical judgments in applying accounting policies that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements is included in the following notes: Note 13 (ii) – Property, plant and equipment Note 3 (k) – Revenue recognition Note 3 (h) – Impairment Measurement of fair value When measuring the fair value of an asset or a liability, the University uses market observable data as far as possible.
Fair values are categorized into different levels in a fair value hierarchy based on the inputs used in the valuation techniques as follows: Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e.

as prices) or indirectly (i.e.

derived from prices).


Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 2.

Basis of preparation (continued) c).


Use of estimates and judgments (continued) 2.

Basis of preparation (continued) e).


Standards issued but not yet effective 82 Measurement of fair value (continued) If the inputs used to measure the fair value of an asset or a liability might be categorized in different levels of the fair value hierarchy, then the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirely in the same level of the fair value hierarchy as the lowest level input that is significant to the entire measurement.
The University recognizes transfers between levels of the hierarchy at the end of the reporting period during which the change has occurred.

Further information about the assumptions made in measuring fair values is included in the following notes: Note 14 – Biological assets.

d).

Changes in accounting policies and disclosures New standards and interpretations The University applied all standards and amendments, which are effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2020.
The University has not early adopted any other standard, interpretation or amendment that has been issued but is not yet effective.
New or amended standards Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8: Definition of Material Amendments to IFRS 16 Covid-19 Related Rent Concessions Summary of the requirements The amendments provide a new definition of material that states, “information is material if omitting, misstating or obscuring it could reasonably be expected to influence decisions that the primary users of general purpose financial statements make on the basis of those financial statements, which provide financial information about a specific reporting entity.” The amendments clarify that materiality will depend on the nature or magnitude of information, either individually or in combination with other information, in the context of the financial statements.
A misstatement of information is material if it could reasonably be expected to influence decisions made by the primary users.

Possible impact on financial statements These amendments had no impact on the consolidated financial statements of, nor is there expected to be any future impact to the University’s financial statements.

On 28 May 2020, the IASB issued Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions - amendment to IFRS 16 Leases.
The amendments provide relief to lessees from applying IFRS 16 guidance on lease modification accounting for rent concessions arising as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a practical expedient, a lessee may elect not to assess whether a Covid-19 related rent concession from a lessor is a lease modification.
A lessee that makes this election accounts for any change in lease payments resulting from the Covid-19 related rent concession the same way it would account for the change under IFRS 16, if the change were not a lease modification.

The amendment applies to annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 June 2020.

Earlier application is permitted.

This amendment had no impact on the University’s financial statements.
The standards and interpretations that are issued, but not yet effective, up to the date of issuance of the University’s financial statements are disclosed below.

The University intends to adopt these standards, if applicable, when they become effective.
New or amended standards Amendments to IAS 1: Classification of Liabilities as Current or Non- current Summary of the requirements In January 2020, the IASB issued amendments to paragraphs 69 to 76 of IAS 1 to specify the requirements for classifying liabilities as current or non-current.

The amendments clarify: - What is meant by a right to defer settlement.

- That a right to defer must exist at the end of the reporting period.
- That classification is unaffected by the likelihood that an entity will exercise its deferral right.

- That only if an embedded derivative in a convertible liability is itself an equity instrument would the terms of a liability not impact its classification.

Possible impact on financial statements The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023 and must be applied retrospectively.
These amendments are not expected to have a material impact on the University.

3.

Significant accounting policies The accounting policies set out below have been applied consistently to all periods presented in these financial statements.

Certain comparative amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current year’s presentation.

83 a).

Foreign currency transactions Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into Fiji dollars at exchange rates at the dates of the transactions.
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the reporting date are translated into Fiji dollars at the exchange rate at that date.

The foreign currency gains or losses on translation are recognised in profit or loss.

b).

Property, plant and equipment Recognition and measurement Items of property, plant and equipment are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.
Property, plant and equipment that became assets of the University on 1 January 2010 and 30 November 2010 under the FNU Act (Principal Act) were valued by independent valuers as at 1 January 2010 and, for TPAF, 30 November 2010.

These values became the ‘deemed cost’ to the University.

Cost includes expenditure that is directly attributable to the acquisition of the asset.
The cost of self- constructed assets includes the cost of materials and direct labour, any other costs directly attributable to bringing the assets to a working condition for their intended use, the costs of dismantling and removing the items and restoring the site on which they are located, and capitalised borrowing costs.

Purchased software that is integral to the functionality of the related equipment is capitalised as part of that equipment.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) b).


Property, plant and equipment (continued) When parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items (major components) of property, plant and equipment.
Gains and losses on disposal of an item of property, plant and equipment are determined by comparing the proceeds from disposal with the carrying amount of property, plant and equipment, and are recognised net within other income in profit or loss.
Subsequent expenditure The cost of replacing part of an item of property, plant and equipment is recognised in the carrying amount of the item if it is probable that the future economic benefit embodied within the part will flow to the University and its cost can be measured reliably.

The cost of the day-to-day servicing of plant and equipment is recognised in profit or loss as incurred.
Depreciation Property, plant and equipment, with the exception of freehold land, is depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives.

The depreciation rates for each class of assets are as follows: Buildings and improvements 2% Motor vehicles 20% - 33% Computers 84 Plant and equipment Furniture and fittings 20% Leasehold land Term of lease 20% 33% Depreciation methods, useful lives and residual values are reviewed at each financial year-end and adjusted if appropriate.

c).
c).

Intangible assets IT Software IT software which is purchased, developed, or implemented, is recorded at cost and is amortised over its estimated useful life.

Computer software 33% Favourable land sub lease On acquisition of the Navua Farm the University determined that the land sub-lease was favourable relative to market terms and has recognised this benefit as an intangible asset as required by IFRS 3 “Business Combinations”.
This intangible asset is amortised on a straight line basis over the remaining term of the land sub-lease.

d).

Financial instruments i).

Financial assets Financial assets are classified, at initial recognition, as subsequently measured at amortised cost, fair value through other comprehensive income (OCI), and fair value through profit or loss.
The classification of financial assets at initial recognition depends on the financial asset’s contractual cash flow characteristics and the University’s business model for managing them.
With the exception of trade receivables that do not contain a significant financing component or for which the University has applied the practical expedient, the University initially measures a financial asset at its fair value plus, in the case of a financial asset not at fair value through profit or loss, transaction costs.

3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) d).

Financial instruments (continued) i).


Financial assets (continued) Trade receivables that do not contain a significant financing component or for which the University has applied the practical expedient are measured at the transaction price determined under IFRS 15.

Refer to the accounting policies in section (k) Revenue from contracts with customers.
In order for a financial asset to be classified and measured at amortised cost or fair value through OCI, it needs to give rise to cash flows that are ‘solely payments of principal and interest (SPPI)’ on the principal amount outstanding.

This assessment is referred to as the SPPI test and is performed at an instrument level.

The University’s business model for managing financial assets refers to how it manages its financial assets in order to generate cash flows.
The business model determines whether cash flows will result from collecting contractual cash flows, selling the financial assets, or both.

Purchases or sales of financial assets that require delivery of assets within a time frame established by regulation or convention in the market place (regular way trades) are recognised on the trade date, i.e., the date that the University commits to purchase or sell the asset.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount presented in the statement of financial position when, and only when, the University has a legal right to offset the amounts and intends either to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
85 For purposes of subsequent measurement, financial assets are classified in four categories: • Financial assets at amortised cost (debt instruments and trade receivables) • Financial assets at fair value through OCI with recycling of cumulative gains and losses (debt instruments) • Financial assets designated at fair value through OCI with no recycling of cumulative gains and losses upon de-recognition (equity instruments) • Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss Financial assets at amortised cost: This category is the most relevant to the University.
The University measures financial assets at amortised cost if both of the following conditions are met: • The financial asset is held within a business model with the objective to hold financial assets in order to collect contractual cash flows; and • The contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.
Financial assets at amortised cost are subsequently measured using the effective interest (EIR) method and are subject to impairment.

Gains and losses are recognised in profit or loss when the asset is derecognised, modified or impaired.

The University’s financial assets at amortised cost includes trade receivables, cash and cash equivalent, interest bearing deposits and term deposit with original term greater than 90 days.
Financial assets at fair value through OCI (debt instruments) The University measures debt instruments at fair value through OCI if both of the following conditions are met: • The financial asset is held within a business model with the objective of both holding to collect contractual cash flows and selling; and • The contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) d).

Financial instruments (continued) i).

Financial assets (continued) 3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) d).

Financial instruments (continued) i).


Financial assets (continued) For debt instruments at fair value through OCI, interest income, foreign exchange revaluation and impairment losses or reversals are recognised in the statement of profit or loss and computed in the same manner as for financial assets measured at amortised cost.

The remaining fair value changes are recognised in OCI.

Upon de-recognition, the cumulative fair value change recognised in OCI is recycled to profit or loss.
The University has not designated any financial assets as debt instruments at fair value through OCI.

Financial assets designated at fair value through OCI (equity instruments) Upon initial recognition, the University can elect to classify irrevocably its equity investments as equity instruments designated at fair value through OCI when they meet the definition of equity under IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation and are not held for trading.
The classification is determined on an instrument-by-instrument basis.

Gains and losses on these financial assets are never recycled to profit or loss.

Dividends are recognised as other income in the statement of profit or loss when the right of payment has been established, except when the University benefits from such proceeds as a recovery of part of the cost of the financial asset, in which case, such gains are recorded in OCI.
Equity instruments designated at fair value through OCI are not subject to impairment assessment.

De-recognition The University derecognises a financial asset when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or it transfers the rights to receive the contractual cash flows on the financial asset in a transaction in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset are transferred.
Any interest in transferred financial assets that is created or retained by the University is recognised as a separate asset or liability.

ii).

Non-derivative financial liabilities The University initially recognises debt securities issued on the date that they are originated.

All other financial liabilities are recognised initially on the trade date at which the University becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
The University derecognises a financial liability when its contractual obligations are discharged or cancelled or expire.

The University has trade and other payables as non-derivative financial liabilities.

Such financial liabilities are recognised initially at fair value plus any directly attributable transaction costs.

Subsequent to initial recognition these financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
86 The University has not designated any financial assets as equity instruments at fair value through OCI.

e).

Inventories 87 Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss include financial assets held for trading, financial assets designated upon initial recognition at fair value through profit or loss, or financial assets mandatorily required to be measured at fair value.
Financial assets are classified as held for trading if they are acquired for the purpose of selling or repurchasing in the near term.

Derivatives, including separated embedded derivatives, are also classified as held for trading unless they are designated as effective hedging instruments.

Financial assets with cash flows that are not solely payments of principal and interest are classified and measured at fair value through profit or loss, irrespective of the business model.
Notwithstanding the criteria for debt instruments to be classified at amortised cost or at fair value through OCI, as described above, debt instruments may be designated at fair value through profit or loss on initial recognition if doing so eliminates, or significantly reduces, an accounting mismatch.

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are carried in the statement of financial position at fair value with net changes in fair value recognised in the statement of profit or loss.
This category includes derivative instruments and listed equity investments which the University had not irrevocably elected to classify at fair value through OCI.

Dividends on listed equity investments are also recognised as other income in the statement of profit or loss when the right of payment has been established.

Inventories are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
The cost of inventories is based on the weighted average principle, and includes expenditure incurred in acquiring the inventories, production or conversion costs and other costs incurred in bringing them to their existing location and condition.

Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the estimated costs of completion and selling expenses.

f).
f).

Leases The University applies a single recognition and measurement approach for all leases, except for short-term leases and leases of low-value assets.

the University recognises lease liabilities to make lease payments and right-of-use assets representing the right to use the underlying assets.

i).

Right-of-use assets The university recognises right-of-use assets at the commencement date of the lease (i.e., the date the underlying asset is available for use).
Right-of-use assets are measured at cost, less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses, and adjusted for any remeasurement of lease liabilities.

The cost of right-of-use assets includes the amount of lease liabilities recognised, initial direct costs incurred, and lease payments made at or before the commencement date less any lease incentives received.
Right-of-use assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the lease term and the estimated useful lives of the assets, as follows: • Land and Buildings • Other Leased Assets 9 to 98 years 3 to 4 years If ownership of the leased asset transfers to the University at the end of the lease term or the cost reflects the exercise of a purchase option, depreciation is calculated using the estimated useful life of the asset.

The right-of-use assets are also subject to impairment.
Refer to the accounting policies in section (h) Impairment of non-financial assets.

FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) f).

Leases (Continued) ii).

Lease liabilities 3.


Significant accounting policies (continued) h).

Impairment (continued) ii).

Non-derivative financial assets (continued) The right-of-use assets are also subject to impairment.

Refer to the accounting policies in section (h) Impairment of non-financial assets.

At the commencement date of the lease, the University recognises lease liabilities measured at the present value of lease payments to be made over the lease term.
The lease payments include fixed payments less any lease incentives receivable, variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate, and amounts expected to be paid under residual value guarantees.

The lease payments also include the exercise price of a purchase option reasonably certain to be exercised by the University and payments of penalties for terminating the lease, if the lease term reflects the University exercising the option to terminate.
Variable lease payments that do not depend on an index or a rate are recognised as expenses (unless they are incurred to produce inventories) in the period in which the event or condition that triggers the payment occurs.

In calculating the present value of lease payments, the University uses its incremental borrowing rate at the lease commencement date because the interest rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable.
After the commencement date, the amount of the lease liabilities is increased to reflect the accretion of interest and reduced for the lease payments made.

In addition, the carrying amount of lease liabilities is remeasured if there is a modification, a change in the lease term, a change in the lease payments (e.g.

changes to future payments resulting from a change in an index or rate used to determine such lease payments) or a change in the assessment of an option to purchase the underlying asset.
The University’s lease liabilities are presented in leases (see Note 26).

iii).

Short-term leases and leases of low-value assets The University applies the short-term lease recognition exemption to its short-term leases of machinery and equipment (i.e.

those leases that have a lease term of 12 months or less from the commencement date and do not contain a purchase option).
It also applies the lease of low-value assets recognition exemption to leases of office equipment that are considered to be low value.

Lease payments on short- term leases and leases of low value assets are recognised as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

88 Financial assets measured at amortised cost The University considers evidence of impairment for financial asserts measured at amortised cost (loans and receivables) at both a specific asset and collective level.
All individually significant receivables are assessed for specific impairment.

Those found not to be specifically impaired are then collectively assessed for any impairment that has been incurred but not yet identified.

Assets that are not individually significant are collectively assessed for impairment by grouping together receivables with similar risk characteristics.
In assessing collective impairment the University uses historical trends of the probability of default, timing of recoveries and the amount of loss incurred, adjusted for management’s judgement as to whether current economic and credit conditions are such that the actual losses are likely to be greater or less than suggested by historical trends.

The recoverable amount of an asset or cash-generating unit (“CGU”) is the greater of its value in use and its fair value less costs to sell.
In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset or CGU.

For the purpose of impairment testing, assets that cannot be tested individually are grouped together into the smallest group of assets that generates cash inflows from continuing use that are largely independent of the cash inflows of other assets or CGUs.
An impairment loss is recognised if the carrying amount of an asset or its CGU exceeds its estimated recoverable amount.

Impairment losses are recognised in profit or loss.

Impairment losses recognised in respect of CGUs are allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill allocated to the units, and then to reduce the carrying amounts of the other assets in the unit (group of units) on a pro rata basis.
An impairment loss is reversed only to the extent that the asset’s carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined, net of depreciation or amortisation, if no impairment loss had been recognised.

89 i).

Employee benefits g).

Biological assets Biological assets are measured at fair value less cost to sell, with any change therein recognized in profit or loss.
Superannuation Contributions are paid to the Fiji National Provident Fund on behalf of employees to secure retirement benefits.

Costs are included in profit or loss as the services are rendered by employees.

h).

Impairment i).

Non-derivative financial assets A financial asset not carried at fair value through profit or loss is assessed at each reporting date to determine whether there is objective evidence that it is impaired.
A financial asset is impaired if objective evidence indicates that a loss event has occurred after the initial recognition of the asset, and that the loss event had a negative effect on the estimated future cash flows of that asset that can be estimated reliably.
Objective evidence that financial assets are impaired can include default or delinquency by a debtor, restructuring of an amount due to the University on terms that the University would not consider otherwise, indications that a debtor or issuer will enter bankruptcy and the disappearance of an active market for a security.

In addition, for an investment in an equity security, a significant or prolonged decline in its fair value below cost is objective evidence of impairment.
Short-term benefits Short-term employee benefit obligations are measured on an undiscounted basis and are expensed in profit or loss as the related service is provided.

A liability is recognised for the amount to be paid under short-term benefits if the University has a present or constructive obligation to pay this amount as a result of past service provided by the employee and the obligation can be measured reliably.
Liabilities for non-accumulating sick leave are recognised when the leave is taken and measured at the rates paid or payable.

Bonus plans The University pays bonuses to employees based on performance of the University and achievement of individual objectives by the employees.

The University recognises a provision where contractually obliged or where there is a past practice that has created a constructive obligation.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) j).

Operating expenses Expenses are recognised on an accrual basis.

k).
k).

Revenue recognition Revenue comprises the fair value of the consideration received or receivable for the sale of goods and services in the ordinary course of the University’s activities.

Revenue is shown net of value-added tax, returns, rebates and discounts.
The University recognises revenue when the amount of revenue can be reliably measured, it is probable that future economic benefits will flow to the entity and when specific criteria have been met for each of the University’s activities as described below.

The amount of revenue is not considered to be reliably measurable until all contingencies relating to the sale have been resolved.
The University bases its estimates on historical results, taking into consideration the type of customer, the type of transaction and the specifics of each arrangement.

Revenue is recognised for the major activities as follows: i).

Government grants The University treats operating grants received from the Fiji Government as income in the year of receipt or when entitlement to the grant is established.
Government grant in respect of capex are recognised initially as deferred income when there is reasonable assurance that they will be received and the University will comply with the conditions associated with the grant and are then recognised in profit or loss as income on a systematic basis over the useful life of the asset.

90 ii).
90 ii).

Project income Grants that compensate the University for expenses incurred are recognised in profit or loss as income on a systematic basis in the same periods in which the expenses are recognised.

iii).

Student tuition fees Student tuition fee income is generated from fee-paying courses for local and overseas students.

Revenue is recognised in the same period as the courses for which the fee income is derived are held.
Upfront payments by students for courses being held in the next teaching year are treated as deferred income and recorded as revenue in the following year as the course is provided.

iv).

Non tuition fees and charges Fees and charges comprise other services provided to students, which are recognised as the service is provided.

v).

NTPC Levy income NTPC Levies collected from employers are recognised initially as deferred income.
The deferred income is recognised in profit or loss as income in the period that training grants are made to employers or related training expenses are incurred.

Any remaining amounts are recognised as income once the University has paid all grant claims to employers in respect of those levies and has no further obligation in respect of that levy period.

Estimates of grants expected to be made are based on historical data.

vi).
vi).

Interest income Interest income is recognised as finance income as it accrues using the effective interest method.

3.

Significant accounting policies (continued) k).

Revenue recognition (continued) vii).

Trading activities Revenue in respect of trading activities is recognised at the point of sale for goods, or as the service is performed.

viii).

Asset sales The net gain on asset sales is included as other income and the net loss as an expense.
The profit or loss on disposal of assets is brought to account when the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the assets have been transferred to the buyer.

l).

Taxes Income tax exemption The University is exempt from income tax in accordance with the provisions of the Fiji Income Tax Act 2015.
Other taxes Revenue, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of Value Added Tax (VAT) except where the VAT incurred on a purchase of goods or services is not recoverable from the taxation authority, in which case the VAT is recognised as part of the cost of acquisition of the asset or as part of the expense item as applicable.

Receivables and payables are stated with the amount of VAT included, if applicable.

m).
m).

Business combinations Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method when control is transferred to the University.

The consideration transferred in the acquisition is generally measured at fair value, as are the identifiable assets acquired.

Any goodwill that arises is tested annually for impairment.

Any gain on a bargain purchase is recognized in profit or loss immediately.
Transaction costs are expensed as incurred, except if related to the issue of debt or equity securities.

The consideration transferred does not include amounts related to the settlement of pre-existing relationships.

Such amounts are generally recognized in profit or loss.

Any contingent consideration payable is measured at fair value at the acquisition date.

If the contingent consideration is classified as equity, then it is not re-measured and settlement is accounted for within equity.
Otherwise subsequent changes in the fair value of the contingent consideration are recognized in profit or loss.

n).

Comparatives Certain previously reported amounts have been reclassified to conform with presentation in the current year.
91 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 4.
Segment information For management purposes, the University is organised into business units based on its products and services and has two reportable segments, as follows: • The National Training & Productivity Centre (‘NTPC’) segment, which provide training to organisations to enhance their efficiency, productivity and enable them to compete in the domestic, national, regional and global market.
• The Uni-services segments, which is the commercial arm of Fiji National University aims to optimize service delivery to its customers (students and staff) in terms of cafeterias, accommodation, security, transportation and bookshops.

The Executive Management monitors the operating results of its business units separately for the purpose of making decisions about resource allocation and performance assessment.
Segment performance is evaluated based on profit or loss and is measured consistently with profit or loss in the financial statements.

However, the financing (including finance costs and finance income) are managed on a group basis and are not allocated to operating segments.

Transfer prices between operating segments are on an arm’s length basis in a manner similar to transactions with third parties.
92 Year ended 31 December 2019 NTPC Uni-services Adjustments and eliminations Revenue Levy Income Hostel income Student fees Other Trading Activities Other Income Total revenue Expenses Levy expense Personnel expenses Other operating expenses Total expense $ 23,657,800 $ - - 2,544,559 5,854,976 2,228 94,174 - 7,624,647 178,647 29,609,178 10,347,853 (18,434,641) (5,028,013) (2,257,403) (25,720,057) - (2,814,391) (4,851,594) (7,665,985) Support allocation (2,185,625) (4,139,141) Segment profit 1,703,496 (1,457,273) $ - - - - - - - - - - Total $ 23,657,800 2,544,559 5,854,976 7,626,875 272,821 39,957,031 (18,434,641) (7,842,404) (7,108,997) (33,386,042) (6,324,766) 246,223 4.
Segment information (continued) Year ended 31 December 2020 Revenue Levy Income Hostel income Student fees Other Trading Activities Other Income Total revenue Expenses Levy expense Personnel expenses Other operating expenses Total expense NTPC Uni-services $ 23,981,921 $ - - 2,992,562 4,021,892 9,094 220,648 28,233,555 (23,813,174) (4,246,889) (1,353,451) (29,413,514) - 1,350,986 66,421 4,409,969 - (2,414,933) (1,596,042) (4,010,975) Support allocation (1,680,102) (1,203,293) Segment loss (2,860,061) (804,299) Adjustments and elimina- tions $ - - - - - - - - - - - - Total $ 23,981,921 2,992,562 4,021,892 1,360,080 287,069 32,643,524 (23,813,174) (6,661,822) (2,949,493) (33,424,489) (2,883,395) (3,664,360) 93 5.
Financial risk management The University’s has exposure to the following risks: (i) Credit risk; (ii) Liquidity risk; and (iii) Market risk.

This note presents information about the University’s exposure to each of the above risks, the University’s objectives, policies and processes for measuring and managing risk.

Further quantitative disclosures are included throughout these financial statements.
Risk management framework The Council has overall responsibility for the establishment and oversight of the University’s risk management framework.

The University’s risk management policies are established to identify and analyse the risks faced by the University, to set appropriate risk limits and controls, and to monitor risks and adherence to limits.

Risk management policies and systems are reviewed regularly to reflect changes in market conditions and the University’s activities.
The University, through its training and management standards and procedures, aims to develop a disciplined and constructive control environment in which all employees understand their roles and obligations.

FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 5.
Financial risk management (Continued) i).

Credit risk 5.

Financial risk management (Continued) iii).

Market risk 94 Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the University if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations, and arises principally from the University’s cash and cash equivalents, receivables and other financial assets.
The maximum exposure to credit risk at balance date to recognised financial assets, is the carrying amount, net of any provisions for impairment of these assets, as disclosed in the statement of financial position and notes to the financial statements.
The ageing, gross of any impairment provision, of student debtors, levy debtors, sponsor debtors and staff debtors at the reporting date was as follows: Credit risk 0 – 90 days 91 – 365 days > 365 days 2020 $ 6,766,763 4,688,834 9,867,436 2019 $ 15,953,414 2,129,585 7,061,686 21,323,033 25,144,685 Customer credit risk is managed by each business unit subject to the University’s established policy, procedures and control relating to customer credit risk management.
An impairment analysis is performed at each reporting date on an individual basis for major customers.

In addition, a large number of minor receivables are grouped into homogenous groups and assessed for impairment collectively.

The calculation is based on actual incurred historical data.

The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date is the carrying value of each class of financial assets.

The University does not hold collateral as security.
The University evaluates the concentration of risk with respect to trade receivables as low, as its customers are located in several jurisdictions and operate in largely independent markets.

ii).

Liquidity risk Liquidity risk is the risk that the University will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due.
The University’s approach to managing liquidity is to ensure, as far as possible, that it will always have sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities when due, under both normal and stressed conditions, without incurring unacceptable losses or risking damage to the University’s reputation.

The University expects to settle is financial liquidity within 6 months of balance date.
The table below summarizes the maturity profile of the University’s liabilities at 31 December based on contractual undiscounted payments: 31 December 2020 $ $ $ Total On demand < 1 year Trade and other payables 23,054,426 3,442,882 19,611,544 23,054,426 3,442,882 19,611,544 $ 1 - 5 years - - $ > 5 years - - 31 December 2019 Total On demand < 1 year 1 - 5 years > 5 years Trade and other payables 20,645,365 20,645,365 223,210 223,210 20,422,155 20,422,155 - - - - Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as foreign exchange rates, interest rates and equity prices will affect the University’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments.
The objective of market risk management is to manage and control market risk exposures within acceptable parameters, while optimising the return.

Foreign exchange risk The University is exposed to fluctuations in foreign currencies arising from the purchase of goods and services in currencies other than the University’s functional currency.

The University does not have a material exposure to foreign exchange risk and accordingly does not adopt any foreign currency strategies.
Price risk The University is exposed to equity securities price risk through its investments in Unit Trusts.

This arises from investments held by the University and classified on the statement of financial position as equity instruments at fair value through profit and loss.

The University has no direct exposure to commodity price risk.

There is no material exposure to price risk.

Interest rate risk The University’s interest bearing deposits are generally at fixed interest rates.
The University does not have any interest bearing liabilities and accordingly exposure to interest rate risk is not considered material.

6.

Student tuition fees Private students Sponsored students Regional students Short courses Other tuition fees 7.

Project income Sustainable livelihood project (SLP) grant Others 8.
Other income Non-tuition fees and charges Enrolment fees Consultancy income Dividend Release of deferred income Trading activities: Bookshop Food and beverages Farm Other trading activities Other income 95 2020 $ 21,730,050 42,773,698 3,248,124 3,546,421 - 2019 $ FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 9.
Hostel Income Hostel accommodation Hostel meals Hostel laundry 10.

Employee related expenses Wages and salaries, including leave benefits Fiji National Provident Fund contribution Key management personnel compensation - short term benefits Staff allowances Other personnel costs 11.
Other operating expenses (excluding employee related expenses) 96 Advertising, promotions and publicity Audit fees - External audit Accounting and other services Increase of impairment provision on receivables Consultancy Council expenses Course related expenses Franchise costs Inventory obsolescence Insurance Job evaluation fee Legal Licence fees Operating lease and other rentals Project disbursements Publications Repairs and maintenance Security services Stationery Telecommunications Travel Trading and hostel expenses Utilities Hire charges 2020 $ 2,992,562 364,185 6,291 2019 $ 2,544,559 4,653,482 1,836 3,363,038 7,199,877 68,011,373 4,246,176 65,833,899 6,407,012 2,376,132 1,603,310 1,095,596 2,310,228 1,587,320 3,145,928 77,332,587 79,284,387 661,415 45,834 79,208 5,446,363 2,947,810 141,798 3,072,956 625,920 (83,118) 987,602 - (148,370) 4,098,214 (1,747) 35,995 74,462 2,912,677 2,709,553 490,901 3,368,964 917,870 1,507,702 2,827,445 596,215 1,185,075 51,503 76,650 23,105,742 5,491,841 161,493 4,151,693 733,047 7,002 544,198 3,624 (197,615) 6,109,619 476,380 1,008,236 76,590 8,467,519 3,090,188 621,676 4,052,446 1,572,673 4,546,375 3,327,433 1,706,150 11.
Other operating expenses (excluding employee related expenses) (Continued) Cartage and freight Contingency expense Other expenses 12.

Finance income Interest income 2020 $ 67,468 - 2,278,389 35,661,526 2019 $ 281,218 (445,555) 4,744,999 74,950,200 4,134,770 4,134,770 5,120,664 5,120,664 13.
(i) Right-of-use assets Land and Buildings Other Leased Assets Cost At 1 January 2020 Additions 31 December 2020 Depreciation and impairment At 1 January 2020 Depreciation charge 31 December 2020 Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Total $ 3,929,936 138,125 4,068,061 $ (1,059,381) (522,761) 97 $ 2,617,623 138,125 2,755,748 $ (210,681) (98,411) (309,092) $ 1,312,313 - 1,312,313 $ (848,700) (424,350) (1,273,050) (1,582,142) 2,406,942 2,446,656 463,613 39,263 2,870,555 2,485,919 The above represent assets under lease contracts which have been recognised as assets in accordance with IFRS 16.
The assets are written down over the term of their contracts.

13.
(ii) Property, plant and equipment Land and buildings - Freehold Cost At 1 January Reclassification 31 December Depreciation and impairment At 1 January Depreciation charge 31 December 2020 $ 2019 $ 1,361,000 1,361,000 - - 1,361,000 1,361,000 1,361,000 1,361,000 - - 1,361,000 1,361,000 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 2020 $ 2019 $ 13.
(ii) Property, plant and equipment (continued) Motor vehicles (Continued) 13.
(ii) Property, plant and equipment (continued) Land and buildings - Freehold (Continued) Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Land and buildings - Leasehold Cost At 1 January Additions 31 December 98 Depreciation and impairment At 1 January Depreciation charge 31 December Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Motor vehicles Cost At 1 January Additions Disposals 31 December Depreciation and impairment At 1 January Depreciation charge Disposals 31 December 1,361,000 1,361,000 1,361,000 1,361,000 236,546,148 228,818,558 3,416,834 7,727,590 239,962,982 236,546,148 (44,031,972) (39,547,999) (4,702,709) (4,483,973) (48,734,681) (44,031,972) 192,514,176 189,270,559 191,228,301 192,514,176 6,084,426 6,734,621 600,000 670,800 (353,286) (1,320,995) 6,331,140 6,084,426 (4,349,921) (4,905,132) (623,525) 353,286 (694,827) 1,250,038 (4,620,160) (4,349,921) Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Furniture and fittings Cost At 1 January Additions Disposals 31 December 2020 $ 2019 $ 1,734,505 1,710,980 1,829,489 1,734,505 4,601,230 7,447,183 - - 113,275 (2,959,228) 4,601,230 4,601,230 Depreciation and impairment 99 At 1 January Depreciation charge Disposals 31 December Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Plant and equipment Cost At 1 January Additions Disposals 31 December Depreciation and impairment At 1 January Depreciation charge Disposals 31 December (3,753,791) (6,264,051) (329,793) - (448,968) 2,959,228 (4,083,584) (3,753,791) 847,439 517,646 1,183,132 847,439 38,267,413 41,114,268 1,691,671 2,822,789 (127,703) (5,669,644) 39,831,381 38,267,413 (28,950,919) (30,796,039) (3,438,119) (3,814,515) 123,011 5,659,635 (32,266,027) (28,950,919) FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 13.
(ii) Property, plant and equipment (continued) Plant and equipment (continued) Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Computers Cost At 1 January Additions Disposals 31 December 100 Depreciation and impairment At 1 January Depreciation charge Disposals 31 December Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Work in progress Cost At 1 January Additions Transfers 31 December Depreciation and impairment At 1 January Reclassification 31 December 2020 2019 $ $ 9,316,494 7,565,354 10,318,229 9,316,494 15,453,288 14,798,907 2,577,862 (189,679) 1,436,596 (782,215) 17,841,471 15,453,288 (12,079,904) (11,384,252) (2,228,022) (1,477,867) 183,662 782,215 (14,124,264) (12,079,904) 3,373,384 3,717,207 3,414,655 3,373,384 46,549,139 23,888,593 21,778,499 30,389,331 (4,137,735) (7,728,785) 64,189,903 46,549,139 - - - - - - 13.
(ii) Property, plant and equipment (continued) Work in progress (continued) Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December Gross Carrying amount at: 1 January 31 December 2020 2019 $ $ 46,549,139 23,888,593 64,189,903 46,549,139 255,696,137 231,265,657 270,290,391 255,696,137 The finalisation of the transfer of lease arrangements to FNU in respect of certain leasehold land assets that were vested in the University under the FNU Act has not yet been completed at the date of approval of these financial statements.
This includes four (2019: four) land leases with a carrying amount of $30,835,343 at 31 December 2020 (2019: $31,558,707) where the land boundaries and/ or certain Lots are subject to ongoing negotiations with the respective Government Ministries.

The independent valuation of these land assets was prepared based on management’s best estimate of the boundaries at the date of the valuations.
The finalisation of the boundaries may result in material changes to the valuations of the assets which have been used as a basis to determine the fair value/ deemed cost of these properties as at 1 January 2010.

101 In addition, as a result of the delay in the finalisation of the transfer of lease arrangements to FNU, the lease term for these properties has not been determined.
The land values for these properties have been determined by the independent valuers using management’s best estimate of a 99-year lease term.

Should the final lease term differ from the assumption of 99 years this will impact period over which these assets are depreciated.

Any change in this estimate will be accounted on a prospective basis.

A significant reduction in the lease term may also have a material impact on the carrying amount of the leasehold land in the financial statements.
Any adjustments arising from the finalisation of the lease transfers will be reflected in the period in which the leases are finalised.

FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 14.
Biological assets At 31 December 2020, the University held 20 cattle (2019: 14), 48 sheep (2019: 37), 52 goats (2019: 42), 1 horse (2019: 1) and 34 pigs (2019: 23).

a) Operations and principal activities Reconciliation of carrying amounts of livestock Fair Value as at 1 January Net increases due to purchases, births, deaths and transfers Loss arising from changes in fair value less costs to sell Decreases due to sales Carrying amount at 31 December b).
Measurement of fair values 2020 $ 20,734 3,617 - (2,354) 21,997 2019 $ 19,972 4,279 - (3,517) 20,734 102 The fair value measurements for livestock has been categorised as Level 3 based on the inputs to the valuation techniques used as follows: Type Valuation technique Significant unobservable inputs Inter-relationship between key unobservable inputs and fair value measurement Livestock Market comparison technique: The valuation model is based on the market price of livestock of similar age, weight, breed and purpose of use.
- Premium on the classification as breeders - Premium based on quality The estimated fair value would increase (decrease) if more (less) livestock were classified as breeders.

c).

Risk management strategy related to agricultural activities The university is exposed to the following risks relating to its biological assets: i).

Regulatory and environmental risks The university is subject to laws and regulations related to the way in which it operates.
The university has established policies and procedures to ensure compliance with local legislation and regulation including those associated with the environment.

ii).

Supply and demand risk The university is exposed to risks arising from fluctuations in the sales price and volume of its livestock.

The university manages this risk by aligning its livestock placement plan to market supply and demand.

iii).
iii).

Climate and other risks The university’s business especially its livestock facilities are exposed to the risk of damage from climate changes, diseases, and other natural events.

The university has extensive process in place aimed at monitoring and mitigating those risks, including regular farm health inspections.

The university is also insured against natural disasters such as floods and cyclones.

15.
Intangible assets Cost Computer software Favourable land sub-lease $ $ Total $ Balance as at 1 January 2019 1,648,813 575,000 2,223,813 Additions - - - Balance as at 31 December 2019 1,648,813 575,000 2,223,813 Additions - - - Balance as at 31 December 2020 1,648,813 575,000 2,223,813 Amortisation and impairment Balance as at 1 January 2019 Amortisation charge for the year (1,648,813) (143,750) (1,792,563) - (26,136) (26,136) Balance as at 31 December 2019 (1,648,813) (169,886) (1,818,699) Amortisation charge for the year - (26,136) (26,136) Balance as at 31 December 2020 (1,648,813) (196,022) (1,844,835) Carrying amount At 1 January 2019 At 31 December 2019 At 31 December 2020 16.
Cash and cash equivalents Cash on hand Cash at bank - restricted - unrestricted Restricted funds consist of the following: Capital Development Capital Project Levy Projects 103 - - - 431,250 405,114 378,978 2020 $ 59,914 431,250 405,114 378,978 2019 $ 4,573 15,534,208 15,002,401 37,324,023 25,208,140 52,918,145 40,215,114 842,457 377,877 8,748,135 5,565,739 818,674 2,321,715 8,317,360 3,544,652 15,534,208 15,002,401 Restricted Funds Capital Development – with effect from 1 January 2014, the University holds 10% of tuition fees for purpos- es of capital development of the University projects that could not be funded through Government grants.
Capital Project – this account holds funding for the development of the new Labasa campus funded through Government capital grant.

Levy – this account is restricted for payment of grants claimed/claimable by employers.

Projects – this account holds funding from our various donors.

The funds are restricted and can only be utilised as per signed donor agreements.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 17.
Trade and other receivables Student debtors Impairment allowance Levy debtors Impairment allowance Sponsor debtors Impairment allowance Staff debtors Impairment allowance Other receivables Impairment allowance 104 2020 $ 3,267,658 (1,682,388) 1,585,270 2019 $ 792,873 (457,718) 335,155 17,129,030 23,994,842 (10,196,812) (7,539,713) 6,932,218 16,455,129 899,952 (306,260) 593,692 26,393 (26,393) - 4,038,704 (979,198) 3,059,506 299,157 (105,299) 193,858 57,813 (19,255) 38,558 6,063,284 (988,200) 5,075,084 Total trade and other receivables 12,170,686 22,097,784 Impairment allowance Opening balance Movement during the year Closing balance 18.
Inventories Stationery/bookshop Food and beverage Gowns Kitchen consumables Provision for obsolescence 9,110,185 4,080,866 13,191,051 7,973,232 1,136,953 9,110,185 - - 344,613 3,459 (5,396) 342,676 309,849 23,896 149,167 177,924 (88,515) 572,321 19.
Other financial assets Current Debt instruments at amortised cost: - Bank of the South Pacific - Credit Corporation (Fiji) Pte Limited - Home Finance Company Pte Limited - Merchant Finance Pte Limited - Bred Bank (Fiji) Pte Limited 2020 $ 2019 $ 42,198,071 46,072,159 2,765,822 6,000,000 11,170,204 - 3,640,453 853,166 7,054,512 5,478,308 62,134,097 63,098,598 Non-current Equity instruments at fair value through profit or loss: - Unit Trust of Fiji - Fijian Holdings Trust Management Limited - Fiji Cooperative Dairy Company Limited 12,405,137 14,022,024 704,546 4,857 734,849 4,857 13,114,540 14,761,730 105 Interest bearing deposits are at fixed interest rates between 2% and 4% (2019: 2% and 4%).
Interest bear- ing deposits amounting to $122,811 (2019: $122,811) are held as letter of charges in respect of security against credit cards and indemnity guarantees.

The University had only Level 1 fair value financial instru- ments, which is defined as quoted market price (unadjusted) in an active market for an identical instrument.

20.

Other assets Government grant receivables Prepayments Less: provision for impairment 21.
Other contributed equity 20,772,240 21,709,625 2,972,277 6,542,243 (21,225,609) (21,128,987) 2,518,908 7,122,881 The amount reflects the fair value of the net assets that have been transferred to the University from legacy institutions as at 1 January 2010 and 30 November 2010 (TPAF) under Section 44 of the FNU Act by the Government of Fiji in its capacity as the owner of the University and the legacy institutions.
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 22.
Deferred income Opening balance Additions Disposals Amounts released to other income Disclosed in the financial statements as follows: Current Non-current 2020 $ 2019 $ 39,519,075 23,273,860 8,228,203 17,869,378 (2,231) - (997,226) (1,624,163) 46,747,821 39,519,075 997,226 1,624,163 45,750,595 37,894,912 46,747,821 39,519,075 Deferred income consists of Government grants in relation to capital expenditure projects and fixed assets acquired using donor funds.

23.
23.

Trade and other payables 106 Trade payables Other payables and accruals 24.
Employee benefits Annual Leave Liability at the beginning of the year Movement during the year Liability at the end of the year Disclosed in the financial statements as follows: Current Non-current 3,442,882 223,210 19,611,544 20,422,155 23,054,426 20,645,365 5,335,780 4,865,332 (1,434,937) 470,448 3,900,843 5,335,780 3,900,843 5,335,780 - - 3,900,843 5,335,780 Generally annual leave is taken within one year of entitlement and accordingly it is expected that a significant portion of the total annual leave balance will be utilised within the next financial year.
25.
Unexpended project income Donor Name Opening Balance Project Receipts Project Expense Transferred to Capex Australian Aid 249,088 1,859,917 829,310 $ $ $ $ - Total $ 1,279,695 Miscellaneous Aid 219,732 130,191 57,948 2,499 289,476 EU Development Assistance (19,314) - (20,247) The Pacific Community (SPC) 68,185 113,098 16,179 3,190 27,244 14,745 - - 20,086 10,913 33,657 12,873 - 20,059 2,730 - - - - - - 933 165,104 3,190 36,417 35,529 17,329 US Aid United Nations Aid World Health Organisation (WHO) New Zealand Aid Total 26.
Leased liability As at 1 January Accretion of interest Payments As at 31 December Current Non-current 562,870 2,177,008 909,706 2,499 1,827,673 2020 $ 2019 $ 107 2,984,659 3,435,224 156,176 (560,576) 175,096 (625,661) 2,580,259 2,984,659 89,534 2,490,725 2,580,259 450,565 2,534,094 2,984,659 The following are the amounts recognised in profit or loss: Amortisation expense of right-of-use assets Interest expense on lease liabilities Expense relating to short-term leases (included in operating expenses) 522,761 156,176 529,700 175,096 596,215 476,380 Total amount recognised in profit or loss 1,275,152 1,181,176 The University had total cash outflows for leases of $1,156,791 in 2020 (2019: $1,102,041).
FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 27.
Deferred grant liability - NTPC (a) Reconciliation of liability Opening balance Levy invoiced/collected for the year Grants paid during the year Amounts released to profit or loss (b) Levy income Amounts released to profit or loss Grants Collections for prior year invoices 2020 $ 2019 $ 27,923,142 22,595,258 16,873,114 27,282,188 (23,813,174) (18,434,641) - (3,519,663) 20,983,082 27,923,142 151,556 4,216,020 23,813,174 18,434,641 17,191 1,007,139 23,981,921 23,657,800 The expenditure attributed to NTPC levy does not include employee related and other operating expenses.
108 28.

Contingent liabilities (a) Bank guarantees (b) Claims 122,811 122,811 The University is defending a number of claims from various entities including suppliers, employees, etc.

The University is confident that the claims will be defended successfully in its favour.

However, the University has prudently provided for possible future cost outflows.

29.

Commitments Capital expenditure Expenditure approved and committed amounted to $30,866,373 as at 31 December 2020 (2019: $49,302,140).

30.
30.

Related parties Identity and transactions The University is controlled by the Government of Fiji in accordance with the FNU Act.

(a) Operating grant The University received grants from the Government of Fiji as follows: Grants received (Decrease)/Increase in Grants receivables Grant Received in Advance Total Operating grant 57,859,897 58,813,956 (937,385) 2,623,821 (8,433,334) - 48,489,178 61,437,777 30.

Related parties (continued) b).


Capital expenditure grant The Government of Fiji also provided capital expenditure grants during the year amounting to $8.23m (2019: $17.83m).

These grants are accounted for in accordance with note 3(k)(i) and accordingly, are in- cluded in ‘Deferred income’ (note 22).

c).

Other transactions The University has received $143,500 (2019: $1,220,776) in respect to 2020 Sustainable Livelihood Project from the Ministry of Finance.
This grant are accounted for in accordance with note 3(k)(ii) and ac- cordingly, are included in ‘Project income’ (note 7).

d).
Council members The following were Council members during the financial year and up to the date of this report: Name Prof. Rajesh Chandra Prof. Nigel Healey Ms. Alison Burchell Status Term Ended 12/01/2020 Resigned on 31/03/2020 Resigned on 07/01/2020 Name Status Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake Term Ended Prof. Ravi Naidu Current Dr. Akhila Nand Sharma Term Ended Ms. Tessa Price Current Mr. Devanesh Sharma Prof. Dharmendra Sharma Current Mr. Vishnu Mohan Ms. Lala Sowane Current Mr. Gordon Jenkins Mr. Raymond Prasad Current Dr. Eci Nabalarua Current Current Current Term Ended 29/05/2020 Prof. Barry McGrath Current Prof. John Chelliah Current 109 Dr. Joseph Veramo Current Dr. Mumtaz Alam Dr. Penuel Immanuel Current Ms. Makereta Batimoko Dr. Nur Bano Ali Current Ms. Susan Kiran Prof. James Pounder Prof. Toby Wilkinson Dr. Anjeela Jokhan Mr. Mohammed Igbal Term ended 31/07/2020 Current Current Current Dr. William May Prof. Unaisi Baba Mr. Vilive Cagivinaka Mr. James Koroitubuna Current Current Current Term Ended 29/05/2020 Term Ended 29/05/2020 Term Ended 07/11/2020 Term ended 31/12/2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued) For the year ended 31 December 2020 31.
Events subsequent to year end There are no matters or circumstances that have arisen since the end of the financial year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the University, the results of those operations, or the state of affairs of the University in future financial years.

The university has taken measures to minimise the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue its operation as normal.
The university continues to monitor the Covid-19 pandemic situation and will take further action as necessary in response to the economic disruption.

32.

Significant Events As at date of this report, the Council members are not aware of any other significant event, other than those already included in the financial statements.

111 110 30.
Related parties (continued) (e) Transactions with key management personnel Key management personnel comprised the above Council members and the following senior staff during the financial year: Name Title Professor Nigel Healey Vice Chancellor (Resigned on 31/03/2020) Prof. James Pounder Ms. Tessa Price Prof. Mohini Singh Mr. Salabogi Mavoa Mr. Tibor Pasinszki Dr. William May Dr. Eci Kikau Nabalarua Prof. Unaisi Nabobo-Baba Prof. Paul Iji Professor Ram Karan Dr. Rohit Kishore Mr. Chandr Anuj Mr. Tiko Domonakibau Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) Acting VC till 31/07/2020 Acting Vice Chancellor from 03/08/2020 to 03/09/2020 Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) Acting Dean - College of Engineering, Science & Technology (Term ended on 02/08/2020) Acting Dean - College of Engineering, Science & Technology (Appointed on 03/08/2020) Dean, College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences Acting VC from 09/09/2020 to 31/12/2020 Dean - College of Humanities & Education (Retired on 02/08/2020) Dean - College of Humanities & Education (Appointed on 03/08/2020) Dean, College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Dean - College of Business, Hospitality & Tourism Studies (Retired on 30/04/2020) Acting Dean - College of Business, Hospitality & Tourism Studies (Appointed on 30/04/2020) Director - Information Communication Technology (ICT) (Retired on 31/08/2020) Director - Information Communication Technology (ICT) (Appointed on 01/09/2020) Dr. Isimeli Waibuta Tagicakiverata Director - National Training & Productivity Centre Mr. Shalendra Mani Gounden Director Estates & Facilities Mr. Niranjwan Chettiar Director Capital Projects & Infrastructure Ms. Jenies Mudiliar Ms. Sarita Harish Prof. John Chelliah Mr. Nilesh Prasad Director Marketing and Communications Registrar Director HR Division Director Finance The University is not aware of any material transactions that may have been conducted with key man- agement personnel or entities associated with the key management personnel.
Key management personnel compensation is disclosed under Note 10 and is made up of short-term benefits including medical benefits and allowances paid to Council members.

FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY DISCLAIMER ON ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For the year ended 31 December 2020 FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - RESTRICTED VS.
UNRESTRICTED INCOME For the year ended 31 December 2020 Disclaimer The additional financial information, being the attached Statement of comprehensive income - restricted vs. unrestricted income has been compiled by the management of the Fiji National University.

No audit or review has been performed by us and accordingly no assurance is expressed.
To the extent permitted by law, we do not accept liability for any loss or damage which any person, other than Fiji National University may suffer arising from any negligence on our part.

No person should rely on the additional financial information without having an audit or review conducted.

112 The University’s income and expenditure is further categorized into restricted and unrestricted to give a clear reflection on the operational nature of events.
Restricted funds are those funds which by virtue of law or contract/funding agreement can only be expended for a specific purpose.

Generally restricted funds for the University consist of capital expenditure grants, donor/project income and expenditure, 10% of tuition fees set aside for capital development purposes, Levy Income and Grant payment expenses.
Unrestricted funds are all other funds that are available for use in the University’s operating activities at the discretion of the University’s Management and Council.
Income Fiji Government operating grants Unrestricted $ 2020 Restricted $ Total $ Unrestricted $ 2019 Restricted $ Total $ 45,770,873 2,718,305 48,489,178 53,087,690 8,350,087 61,437,777 Student tuition fees 64,168,464 7,129,829 71,298,293 59,351,873 6,594,653 65,946,525 Project income Hostel Income - 1,126,705 1,126,705 - 3,716,050 3,716,050 3,363,038 - 3,363,038 7,199,877 - 7,199,877 NTPC Levy income 168,747 23,813,174 23,981,921 1,703,496 21,954,304 23,657,800 113 Other income Total income Expenses Employee related expenses Other operating expenses Depreciation and amortization 2,835,589 997,226 3,832,815 9,470,969 1,624,163 11,095,132 116,306,711 35,785,239 152,091,950 130,813,905 42,239,257 173,053,161 (75,935,839) (1,396,748) (77,332,587) (77,201,628) (2,082,759) (79,284,387) (32,204,966) (3,612,772) (35,817,738) (67,311,679) (7,813,617) (75,125,296) (10,873,839) (997,226) (11,871,065) (9,851,824) (1,624,163) (11,475,987) NTPC levy expenses - (23,813,174) (23,813,174) - (18,434,641) (18,434,641) Total expenses (119,014,644) (29,819,920) (148,834,564) (154,365,131) (29,955,180) (184,320,311) Finance Income 4,134,770 - 4,134,770 5,120,664 - 5,120,664 Operating surplus / (loss) before income tax Income tax expense Operating surplus / (loss) for the year Other comprehensive income: Movement in fair value of available for sale financial assets Total comprehensive Income for the year 1,426,837 5,965,319 7,392,156 (18,430,563) 12,284,077 (6,146,486) - - - - - - 1,426,837 5,965,319 7,392,156 (18,430,563) 12,284,077 (6,146,486) - - - - - - 1,426,837 5,965,319 7,392,156 (18,430,563) 12,284,077 (6,146,486) FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 116 www.fnu.ac.fj New Skills Practical Experience Real Opportunities FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT 2020