AS the University of the South Pacific enters its second week of classes, a severe accommodation crisis has left students—many from remote islands— stranded on the Laucala Campus.
The situation has reached a point where the Consumer Council of Fiji has intervened, describing it as a “student welfare crisis.”
Following a visit to the campus on Monday, the council reported on its findings. Students desperate for answers have been gathering daily outside the Hall’s Office, only to be turned away.
A father from Rakiraki in the northwest of Fiji’s Mani Island, who has been driving his daughter to campus daily, seeking answers. He has been repeatedly sent away without confirmation. A mother from Tonga remains stranded in Fiji, unable to return home until her son finds a bed.
That wait has incurred mounting living expenses.
One young woman arrived in Suva having received a confirmation email promising her a room. When she went to collect her key, the student was told her allocation had been cancelled—with no prior warning.
Late Thursday, USP sent an email to students still on the waiting list. While thanking students for their timely responses, that was the extent of the good news. “We regret to inform you that we are currently unable to confirm accommodation placements.”
The university cited an overwhelming 2000 applications for just 1073 beds and strongly advised students to “actively seek off-campus accommodation.”
Consumer Council CEO Seema Shandil was scathing about the lack of transparency.
“The university has a clear duty of care to ensure students are not left stranded without safe and secure housing,” she said.
The Council has formally demanded that USP clear the backlog, improve communication, and explain these failures to the Fiji Higher Education Commission.
For now, students are left with two choices – brave Suva’s inflated rental market at the last minute or wait for an email that may never come.