[Photo: FILE]

The Higher Education Commission states that the proposed Veitacini Treaty will not remove control over who can enter into education and research partnerships with Fiji.

The issue was raised during a hearing of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, which is considering submissions on the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance or Veitacini Treaty.

Committee Chair Lenora Qereqeretabua questioned whether the treaty’s provisions on critical infrastructure, technology and security could restrict Fiji from working with universities and institutions outside the Western bloc.

She specifically asked about partnerships with Chinese and other non-Western institutions in areas such as electric vehicle technology, cyber security and scientific research.

Commission Director Dr Eci Naisele says these are emerging areas that Fiji must carefully manage.

He explained that Fiji already has procedures governing foreign research and academic partnerships, with government agencies involved where necessary.

“One of the things that we’ve been encouraging our faculty, staff members, universities to safeguard this, particularly if there’s anybody who wants to need to be redirected to us so that we can give them proper guidelines of what they need to do. There are stringent and very strict measures in place to ensure that whatever that we value that are ours are protected and there are certain laws that they need to go through that are bounded by (55:04) and they need to also be strictly followed.”

Dr Naisele says researchers cannot simply enter communities and access information without following the required protocols.

Fiji, he points out has seen foreign authors publish research based on information gathered locally, while the communities that hold that knowledge do not receive proper recognition or benefit.

Dr Naisele says the owners of the information are the wisdom holders of the vanua.

He says researchers working in villages must obtain the necessary approvals, with the relevant authorities brought in where research involves indigenous knowledge.

The Commission also says Australian-supported training under the Veitacini Treaty must remain subject to Fiji’s own qualifications and quality assurance systems.

Dr Naisele states that programs must meet national standards, address Fiji’s labour needs and avoid duplicating existing programs and infrastructure.

The hearing also turned to the growing use of artificial intelligence in higher education.

Dr Naisele adds that universities are facing challenges in determining whether students are submitting their own work, as AI tools are increasingly being used to complete research and assignments.

He said the Commission was working with an AI expert and Fiji’s three universities to develop stronger systems.

The issue is also being included in the Commission’s five-year strategic plan.