The Fijian government is adamant that good governance concerns at the University of the South Pacific are for the benefit of students.

While speaking in Parliament today, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama stressed that mismanagement concerns regarding USP should be investigated independently to help those students who choose USP for their tertiary education.

“As a nation with the single greatest interest in the university, we want to put a high value in USP’s good governance ultimately, that is, for the benefit of students.”

Bainimarama believes that Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption should be called in to investigate allegations of mismanagement at USP because the university cannot be allowed to lose its integrity.

“The university is bigger than any individual. The sooner we will accept that, the sooner the institution can move forward on the path towards good governance in the service of regional students.”

It was discussed in Parliament yesterday that FICAC could not intervene because USP is a regional institution.

He says while Fiji is holding back a grant payout until its concerns are addressed, the government is not compromising the education of students.

Fiji provided funding of $315 million to the university in the past decade and has pumped in millions of dollars for the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board.