Fiji's bright future meets Education Minister

Fiji’s Minister of Education visited the University of Auckland last week to touch base with the future of Fiji. 

Minister of Education Hon. Aseri Radrodro met with a group of Fijian scholarship students from the University of Auckland as well as other Auckland institutions on 16 October. He was accompanied by a delegation including Second Secretary from the Fiji High Commission Josua Tuwere. 

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau welcomed the education minister and said the opportunity to bring him together face-to-face with the young scholarship students was important. 

"It’s an honour to engage with you, and you will see the talent that we house within our tertiary institutions," she said. 

The minister arrived in Aotearoa, New Zealand and had an important message for students from his nation. 

“I can reassure you that Fiji needs you, we hope to see you back in Fiji after you have finished your programmes.” 

Minister Radrodro said there were areas like engineering that were a priority for Fiji, as was public policy. 

"Please know that Fiji needs you. We need you to share your knowledge and experience so that Fiji can be better prepared.” 

He congratulated them for their ongoing efforts to maintain their links to Fiji while having had to overcome the challenges of navigating a new environment while studying in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

“It is so good to see our students have not lost their identity as a Pacific person. Thank you, students, for coming out here, especially to your prospective universities.” 

Radrodro acknowledged some of the almost dozen students present had left Fiji at a very early age, some were at primary school level and were now nearing the end of undergraduate degrees in Engineering, Science and Architecture. 

He thanked the University for hosting the gathering at the Fale Pasifika, and with humour, apologised for his late arrival. He shared with the students that finding the venue had proved challenging – a comment that resonated with many of them, judging by their knowing smiles. 

“I hope we can have more meaningful discussions about the welfare of our students, that have come here for secondary school and then continued with university education, that is something we can explore.” 

After the formalities Education Minister Radrodro invited the students to talk with him about their education journeys, while he offered words of encouragement and support for the path ahead.