Pacific / Fiji

USP V-C defends deregistration threat, but will review process

13:02 pm on 20 October 2016

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of Fiji's University of the South Pacific says he'll review the process of threatening to deregister students who don't pay fees on time.

USP's Suva campus Photo: wikicommons

This week an opposition MP called for Professor Richard Coll's resignation, after he told students last Friday they'd be deregistered by Monday if debts were not paid.

Some students said they were locked out of the university's online portal before they could pay, with exams coming up.

Professor Coll said warnings were given all semester, but the university will review this year's decision to extend the week six payment deadline.

"We will have a look at those dates and see how to manage that then if we remind and remind and remind students before the six week deadline then I can tell you know that that won't make much difference. It was really the fact that we took this precipitous action that resulted in any students taking the matter seriously."

Mr Coll said since the warning, the equivalent of over US$24,000 has been paid.