What safeguards will protect the university’s academic independence once it falls under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s authority
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 Radrodro |  Karavaki |  Unaisi-Baba |  Rabuka |
"The decision to transfer Fiji National University into the Prime Minister’s portfolio has already been taken. The forthcoming legislation is merely the legal mechanism to formalise that shift. What remains unclear is why the university leadership sought this change in the first place, and what it will mean for the independence of one of Fiji’s most important public institutions."
 RABUKA MOVES TO TAKE CONTROL OF FNU A confidential Cabinet memorandum dated 9 March 2026 has revealed that the Rabuka Government is preparing legislation to place the Fiji National University directly under the Prime Minister’s authority. The proposed Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026 will remove the university from the Ministry of Education and transfer it to the Prime Minister in his role as Minister for Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics. |   |
The memo also discloses that the move was triggered by FNU’s own leadership, which quietly approached the Prime Minister’s Office in August 2024 seeking what it called a “strategic reassignment”. By January 2026, the Prime Minister had already directed that the transfer proceed as government policy.
If Parliament approves the amendment, Fiji’s largest tertiary institution will no longer fall under the education sector but will sit directly within the Prime Minister’s portfolio.
Why did the university leadership seek to place itself under the Prime Minister’s control and what does it mean for the independence of Fiji’s flagship tertiary institution?
Full story below.
If Parliament approves the amendment, Fiji’s largest tertiary institution will no longer fall under the education sector but will sit directly within the Prime Minister’s portfolio.
Why did the university leadership seek to place itself under the Prime Minister’s control and what does it mean for the independence of Fiji’s flagship tertiary institution?
Full story below.
A confidential Cabinet memorandum dated 9 March 2026 reveals that the Rabuka Government is preparing legislation to place the Fiji National University (FNU) directly under the authority of the Prime Minister.
The document, marked “Confidential and Legally Privileged”, confirms that the Government has already drafted the Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026, which will amend the Fiji National University Act 2009.
If passed, the legislation will remove FNU from the oversight of the Ministry of Education and transfer responsibility for the university to the Prime Minister in his capacity as Minister for Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics.
In effect, the amendment would move Fiji’s largest tertiary institution directly under the Prime Minister’s political control.
The Timeline Behind the Decision
The memorandum reveals that the proposal did not originate within Cabinet.
Instead, the process began in August 2024, when the Chancellor of Fiji National University and members of its leadership team approached the Office of the Prime Minister with a proposal for what was described as a “strategic reassignment”.
The proposal recommended that FNU be removed from the Ministry of Education and placed under the Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, which sits within the Prime Minister’s portfolio.
Why a public university leadership would seek to move itself away from the ministry responsible for education remains unexplained in the memorandum.
What is clear, however, is that the request was accepted.
On 13 January 2026, the Prime Minister Rabuka directed that the reassignment proceed as a matter of government policy.
Just six days later, on 19 January 2026, the Acting Prime Minister Filimoni Vosarogo publicly announced that FNU would be reassigned to the Prime Minister’s ministry.
The announcement also confirmed that legislation would be introduced to formalise the change once the Prime Minister returned.
By 3 February 2026, the Prime Minister had indicated that the proposed legislation would be brought before Cabinet.
The memorandum therefore shows that the Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026 is essentially designed to legalise a policy decision already implemented administratively.
The Legal Mechanics
The proposed amendment is relatively simple.
It will amend provisions of the Fiji National University Act 2009 so that references to the Minister responsible for Education are replaced with references to the Prime Minister as Minister responsible for Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics.
The Government argues that the change is necessary to align FNU more closely with national development priorities.
According to the memorandum, FNU’s role as Fiji’s “flagship dual-sector tertiary institution”, combining higher education with technical and vocational training, makes it central to: (1) the National Development Plan 2025-2027, and (2) the Government’s long-term development strategy, Vision 2050.
Officials therefore claim that placing FNU within the strategic planning portfolio will strengthen the link between skills training, national development policy and workforce planning.
The Unanswered Questions
Yet the memorandum raises more questions than it answers.
First, it does not explain why the leadership of FNU sought to move the university out of the Ministry of Education in the first place. Universities traditionally fall under education ministries precisely to preserve a degree of academic independence and institutional autonomy. Placing the university under the Office of the Prime Minister raises obvious questions about political oversight and governance.
Second, the document contains no evidence of consultation with academic staff, student bodies, unions, or the wider education sector before the policy decision was made.
Third, the memorandum does not address whether the move could affect university governance structures, including the authority of the FNU Council and the role of the Chancellor.
Centralisation of State Power
The proposed amendment also highlights a broader trend within Fiji’s governance structure.
Over the past two decades, key institutions have increasingly been placed under the direct authority of the executive branch, particularly the Prime Minister’s Office. Moving the country’s largest tertiary institution into that portfolio would further concentrate institutional authority at the centre of government.
Critics are likely to argue that this risks blurring the line between academic institutions and political power.
Supporters, however, may claim that closer integration with national development planning will allow the university to respond more effectively to Fiji’s economic and labour-market needs.
A University at the Centre of National Development
There is no doubt that Fiji National University occupies a pivotal role in the country’s development. Formed through the merger of several tertiary institutions, FNU now serves as the main provider of:
• technical and vocational education
• professional training
• degree programmes
• workforce development initiatives
Any structural change to its governance therefore carries implications not only for education policy but also for economic planning and national workforce strategy.
What Happens Next
The memorandum confirms that the Solicitor-General’s Office has already vetted both the Cabinet memorandum and the draft amendment bill.
Once Cabinet approves the proposal, the Prime Minister will seek authority to introduce the Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026 in Parliament.
At that point the public, and Parliament, may finally be able to scrutinise the policy rationale behind a move that would place one of Fiji’s most important national institutions directly under the Prime Minister’s authority.
Conclusion
The confidential memorandum makes one thing clear.
The decision to transfer Fiji National University into the Prime Minister’s portfolio has already been taken.
The forthcoming legislation is merely the legal mechanism to formalise that shift.
What remains unclear is why the university leadership sought this change in the first place, and what it will mean for the independence of one of Fiji’s most important public institutions.
Those are questions that Parliament, and the public, will now have to confront.
The document, marked “Confidential and Legally Privileged”, confirms that the Government has already drafted the Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026, which will amend the Fiji National University Act 2009.
If passed, the legislation will remove FNU from the oversight of the Ministry of Education and transfer responsibility for the university to the Prime Minister in his capacity as Minister for Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics.
In effect, the amendment would move Fiji’s largest tertiary institution directly under the Prime Minister’s political control.
The Timeline Behind the Decision
The memorandum reveals that the proposal did not originate within Cabinet.
Instead, the process began in August 2024, when the Chancellor of Fiji National University and members of its leadership team approached the Office of the Prime Minister with a proposal for what was described as a “strategic reassignment”.
The proposal recommended that FNU be removed from the Ministry of Education and placed under the Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, which sits within the Prime Minister’s portfolio.
Why a public university leadership would seek to move itself away from the ministry responsible for education remains unexplained in the memorandum.
What is clear, however, is that the request was accepted.
On 13 January 2026, the Prime Minister Rabuka directed that the reassignment proceed as a matter of government policy.
Just six days later, on 19 January 2026, the Acting Prime Minister Filimoni Vosarogo publicly announced that FNU would be reassigned to the Prime Minister’s ministry.
The announcement also confirmed that legislation would be introduced to formalise the change once the Prime Minister returned.
By 3 February 2026, the Prime Minister had indicated that the proposed legislation would be brought before Cabinet.
The memorandum therefore shows that the Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026 is essentially designed to legalise a policy decision already implemented administratively.
The Legal Mechanics
The proposed amendment is relatively simple.
It will amend provisions of the Fiji National University Act 2009 so that references to the Minister responsible for Education are replaced with references to the Prime Minister as Minister responsible for Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics.
The Government argues that the change is necessary to align FNU more closely with national development priorities.
According to the memorandum, FNU’s role as Fiji’s “flagship dual-sector tertiary institution”, combining higher education with technical and vocational training, makes it central to: (1) the National Development Plan 2025-2027, and (2) the Government’s long-term development strategy, Vision 2050.
Officials therefore claim that placing FNU within the strategic planning portfolio will strengthen the link between skills training, national development policy and workforce planning.
The Unanswered Questions
Yet the memorandum raises more questions than it answers.
First, it does not explain why the leadership of FNU sought to move the university out of the Ministry of Education in the first place. Universities traditionally fall under education ministries precisely to preserve a degree of academic independence and institutional autonomy. Placing the university under the Office of the Prime Minister raises obvious questions about political oversight and governance.
Second, the document contains no evidence of consultation with academic staff, student bodies, unions, or the wider education sector before the policy decision was made.
Third, the memorandum does not address whether the move could affect university governance structures, including the authority of the FNU Council and the role of the Chancellor.
Centralisation of State Power
The proposed amendment also highlights a broader trend within Fiji’s governance structure.
Over the past two decades, key institutions have increasingly been placed under the direct authority of the executive branch, particularly the Prime Minister’s Office. Moving the country’s largest tertiary institution into that portfolio would further concentrate institutional authority at the centre of government.
Critics are likely to argue that this risks blurring the line between academic institutions and political power.
Supporters, however, may claim that closer integration with national development planning will allow the university to respond more effectively to Fiji’s economic and labour-market needs.
A University at the Centre of National Development
There is no doubt that Fiji National University occupies a pivotal role in the country’s development. Formed through the merger of several tertiary institutions, FNU now serves as the main provider of:
• technical and vocational education
• professional training
• degree programmes
• workforce development initiatives
Any structural change to its governance therefore carries implications not only for education policy but also for economic planning and national workforce strategy.
What Happens Next
The memorandum confirms that the Solicitor-General’s Office has already vetted both the Cabinet memorandum and the draft amendment bill.
Once Cabinet approves the proposal, the Prime Minister will seek authority to introduce the Fiji National University (Amendment) Bill 2026 in Parliament.
At that point the public, and Parliament, may finally be able to scrutinise the policy rationale behind a move that would place one of Fiji’s most important national institutions directly under the Prime Minister’s authority.
Conclusion
The confidential memorandum makes one thing clear.
The decision to transfer Fiji National University into the Prime Minister’s portfolio has already been taken.
The forthcoming legislation is merely the legal mechanism to formalise that shift.
What remains unclear is why the university leadership sought this change in the first place, and what it will mean for the independence of one of Fiji’s most important public institutions.
Those are questions that Parliament, and the public, will now have to confront.
