The use of artificial intelligence was a key consideration at the first Deputy Prime Minister’s Forum, which began in Rami this morning.
Minister of Education Aseli Radlodlo, who moderated the event, warned that technological change was an impending structural disruption to the country’s education system and required massive, coordinated national action.
The Minister stressed that Fiji urgently needs to recalibrate its higher education system to respond to the accelerating impact of AI on education, learning, research and the labor market.
He stressed that a piecemeal, coordinated response will not be enough, adding that a unified national approach that brings together universities, regulators and industry stakeholders under a common framework is essential for Fiji’s education system.
He stressed that Fiji needs to ensure its workforce is prepared to work alongside AI, rather than being chased by it.
Alongside governance, the Minister emphasized embedding digital literacy and AI competencies across university curricula, strengthening applied research capacity, and ensuring graduates have skills aligned with emerging technologies.
He explained that Fiji has an opportunity to position itself as a regional leader in AI adaptation in the Pacific if it acts decisively and collaboratively, which will require universities to move beyond isolated innovation efforts and instead embrace shared platforms, joint research initiatives and collaborative policy engagement.
The minister also added that AI is already reshaping the global labor market and small island economies like Fiji will face further vulnerabilities if skills development cannot keep up.
However, the minister also said that he sees AI as an opportunity rather than a threat, and that if managed strategically, it could strengthen the country’s workforce.
Ladlodlo said there was a need to focus on Fijians becoming active participants in shaping the application of technology to national development, rather than being passive consumers, adding that the need of the hour was for higher education institutions to move quickly from discussion to implementation, noting that AI readiness would be the measure that would determine the sector’s performance in the coming years.
The government is currently driving the development of a harmonized ethical governance framework to guide the adoption and use of AI across higher education institutions.
These frameworks are expected to address critical concerns such as data ethics, academic integrity, algorithmic bias, and the responsible integration of AI tools in educational delivery.
