After four years’ leading Fiji’s national university, which lies at the heart of the Fiji Government’s ambition to transform Fiji into a highly-skilled advanced economy, this presentation reflects on the lessons learned and the challenges and opportunities for both the University and the wider Fijian higher education sector in the years ahead. The world is being reshaped by digital technology, man-made climate change and unprecedented demographic trends. Higher education, now one of the most important economic sectors on the planet with 225m enrolled students, will be profoundly affected by these changes. This presentation asks: are we ready for the changes to come?

1. Professor Nigel Healey
18 March 2020
Higher education in Fiji and the
Fiji National University –
new directions and hopes for
the future
10th Anniversary DelaiNatabua
NaVuku Lecture Series

2. Three big
questions
• What has changed in the global higher
education landscape?
• What are the particular challenges for the
Fiji higher education sector?
• How should Fiji National University prepare
for the future?

3. Question 1
What has changed in the
global higher education
landscape?
3

4. What has changed in
the global HE
landscape? Digital
technology
4

5. What has changed in the global HE
landscape? Portable technology
5

6. What has changed in the global HE landscape? Connected technology
6

7. What has changed in the global HE landscape?
Machine learning
7

8. What has changed in the global HE
landscape? Learning technology

9. What has changed in the global HE landscape? How we
work and what we do today and will do in the future
9

10. Question 1
10
The story so far
• Changing how our students learn
• Changing what our students learn
• Changing what they will do at work
• Changing the way they we need to
continue to learn in future
The changing landscape of
global HE is:

11. What has changed in the global HE
landscape: tertiary participation (% GER)
11Source: UNESCO
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018

12. But…
What has
changed in
the global HE
landscape?
Slowing
population
growth
12

13. What has changed in the global HE landscape? Fertility rates
13

14. What has changed in the global HE landscape? Demographic structure
14

15. What has changed in the global HE
landscape: 0-24 years as % population
15

16. Question 1
16
The complete story
The changing global
landscape is change
what, how and when
we teach students
The changing global
landscape is reducing
the pool of school-
leavers

17. Question 2
1
7
What are the particular
challenges for the Fiji
higher education sector?

18. Balancing the supply and demand of
graduates
18

19. Risks of excess
supply
19
Too many graduates
(graduate
unemployment)
Wrong sort of
graduates (graduate
unemployment plus
skills shortages)

20. Ways of
balancing
graduate
supply and
demand
20
Manpower planning =
student quotas
Market-driven =
potential students
informed by published
graduate outcomes

21. 21

22. 22

23. 23

24. The Fiji
paradox
24
Market-driven
system

25. Making TSLB financially sustainable (1)
25

26. Making TSLB financially sustainable (2)
26

27. Gaining international
recognition for FHEC
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#45798.htm

28. Closing the “digital divide”
28

29. Question 3
2
9
How should Fiji National
University prepare for the
future?

30. The journey along a well-trodden path –
lessons from the former polytechnics
30

31. The challenge of “bootstrapping” – growing
PhDs and research in Fiji
31

32. Maintaining “parity of esteem”
between TVET and higher education
32

33. Transitioning to a high-
productivity, high-wage
workforce
3
3

34. Conclusions
• The global landscape of higher
education is changing
• Fiji higher education sector needs
to change
• Fiji National University needs to
build for a future as the
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY of Fiji