University of The South Pacific Vice-chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia has reaffirmed USP’s commitment to training and producing educated and skilled graduates, contributing to an agile and highly productive knowledge economy.
Prof Ahluwalia briefed Pacific leaders who are meeting in Tonga on the significant global shifts that are taking place across the higher education sector, with a rapidly changing student profile and issues related to labour mobility.
“USP is responding to these issues through cross-cutting themes of consolidation, transformation, innovation and sustainability,” Professor Ahluwalia said while speaking during the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) on Tuesday.
Leaders noted USP’s unique role as the region’s premiere institution for higher education, training, research and policy advice.
He said climate change remains a key area of discussion at the sessions and side events, with briefing the leaders about the newly established “Centre for Sustainable Futures” at USP as a gamechanger in the region’s collective efforts to address climate change-related issues, including building resilient, adaptive and transformative economies.
Prof Ahluwalia said the centre would bridge gaps and ensure that the strengths of each specialised institution contribute synergistically to addressing climate change holistically in the Pacific Island Countries.
Professor Ahluwalia told the leaders that cybersecurity be prioritised at the ICT Ministerial Meeting and developing a governance framework incorporating the Regional Regulatory Authority (RRA).
The PIFLM will end today.
