The Fiji National University (FNU) has introduced a free anti-corruption course for students to raise awareness on transparency and good governance.
While launching the new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Ethics and Anti-Corruption in Oceania, FNU’s Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr William May said corruption was a serious crime that remained a key obstacle to the development of a nation.
“The development funds that should be dedicated to vital education and health care are diverted into the hands of public officials and this impacts the government’s ability to deliver basic services, causing greater inequality and poverty, if not managed well,” Dr May said in a statement.
The new course is aligned to the government’s ratified commitments under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and also aligned to the push against corruption in Fiji, the Pacific and globally under Transparency International’s policy commitments to Agenda 21’s SDG 16.
Dr May said given the economies of scale and small island vulnerabilities, Pacific Island states needed anti-corruption training programs that were pragmatic and island-centered.
College Dean Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba said it was important for people to learn and understand more about the far-reaching impact corruption had in society and why there was a need for everyone to remain ethical.
The six-week course, offered by the School of Arts and Humanities under the College of Humanities and Education aims to enhance moral reasoning, reaffirms the importance of core values such as honesty and integrity and ethical decision making.
The new MOOC online course on Ethics and Anti-Corruption in Oceania will be offered from January 25, 2021.
