UniFiji opens new office in Levuka, physical environment to become classrooms

In a bold move to provide comprehensive, broad and quality higher education to the maritime areas of Fiji starting in Levuka, the University of Fiji has opened its office in the old capital, at Nasova.

The office was officially opened by the Acting British High Commissioner to Fiji, Nicola Noble.

While speaking at the opening, UniFiji Vice Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem says that most of the University's programmes will be offered in the on-line mode through the its unique teaching platform, TopHat.

TopHat allows students to attend lectures from their own locations, thus minimizing transport and accommodation needs for students.

UniFiji says face-to-face classes are also available to the students by separate arrangement.

Professor Shameem says that the University was becoming well known for providing a different methodology in educational delivery by focusing on student-centered teaching and learning.

The University says from this perspective, the classrooms in Levuka would become the physical environment, for example the sea and reefs for marine science classes, the first Government of Fiji Nasova location for constitutional law courses and the adjacent traditional buildings for courses in iTaukei Studies.

In a related significant educational strategy, the University is planning to appoint Ovalau's traditional leaders as Adjunct Professors in iTaukei Studies so that students can learn from the best knowledge holders of the area. The University will also appoint well-known Levuka residents as Ambassadors of the University to assist with its reach to the outlying maritime areas. The Acting British High Commissioner says this is an important moment for the University and the community of Levuka which is happening in the first Governor to Fiji’s house. She says it is particularly fitting that in a house that represents significant period of transformation, they are knocking a new opportunity in the historic building making history once more by turning a state of historical ruins into a center of learning and cultural preservation.

Noble says repurposing a house to become a home to the very first University of Fiji office in Levuka. She says University of Fiji is the first and only institution that has developed a partnership with an entire town to assist in its development and the future plans are impressive. Also attending the openingg was the Royal Society of Arts Manufactures and Commerce Dr Erica Meyers-Davies and Dr Scott Phillips.

While speaking at the opening, Dr Phillips says the RSA was privileged to work with the University of Fiji and together they will shape change.

He says it is equally exciting that the University of Fiji is opening a new hub university house here in Levuka.

Dr Phillips says it means that the island people can study a full range of higher education programmes offered by Unifiji right on the island.

He says it opens up a world of learning new ideas and research to the people of this town. Dr Phillips adds the RSA Oceania Board, which includes Professor Shaista Shameem, sincerely hopes that the University of Fiji’s students from this beautiful island will be inspired to become junior fellows of RSA in the future. Ben Naidu who represented the Levuka Town Council as Chair of the Board says the first establishment of the University of Fiji in Levuka marks a historic milestone.

He says the University of Fiji in Partnership with the University of Bradford has opened doors for higher education not only for the people Levuka and the Lomaiviti group but Fiji as a large.

Naidu says this occasion is also a testament to the enduring spirit of Levuka as a birth place of Fiji. He says they have fulfilled the dream of opening the University of Fiji’s office in Levuka which marks a beginning of a new era in Levuka.

He adds it represents the opportunities for youth empowerment to education and a future where knowledge and learning pave the way for prosperity and development.

UniFiji says with 20 students already applying for registration on the opening day, the office is poised to be a gateway for higher education opportunities.

They add many more are expected to enroll in the coming weeks, signaling the start of a promising journey for the University and the maritime communities it serves.