Pacific Polytech demands disclosure of funding formula after $6.5m grant cut

Pacific Polytech chairperson Ganesh Chand is calling on the Fiji Higher Education Commission and the Ministry of Education to publicly disclose the formula or criteria used to determine Government grant allocations to education institutions.

Mr Chand raised the issue following a $6.5 million reduction in Pacific Polytech’s operating grant, which he described as a major setback for the institution and the country’s efforts to address a shortage of skilled workers.

“Polytech’s operating grant was reduced by $6.5 million. It is shocking news,” Mr Chand said.

He said Pacific Polytech was the country’s largest technical and vocational training provider and had produced thousands of trades graduates over the years.

Mr Chand said the reduction in funding could result in fewer technically qualified graduates entering the workforce, potentially worsening the national skills shortage.

He urged the Government to review and reverse the funding decision, saying greater investment in vocational education was needed to support workforce development.

Mr Chand also disputed the Ministry of Education’s explanation that grant allocations were determined using a formula.

“There is no formula. All they are trying to do is cover up this arbitrary decision,” he said. “If there is a formula, they should come out publicly on what the formula is and how they applied the formula to give grants to different institutions. This is their responsibility to show it to the public. I am saying there is no formula.”

Mr Chand said publicly disclosing the formula would allow institutions and the wider public to understand how Government funding decisions were made and improve transparency and accountability.

The Fiji Higher Education Commission’s new director, Dr Eci Tekuru Naisele, was contacted for clarification on whether the Ministry has a specific formula or criteria for determining grant allocations.

Questions were also sent asking whether the formula or criteria could be made available to the public. However, Mr Naisele had not responded to the questions at the time of publication.