AUS Tertiary Update: No 22, 4 September 1998
EDUCATION: 'PERSECUTION' OF JOURNALISM ACADEMICS
The Fiji government is "investigating" alleged work permit irregularities of two New Zealand journalism academics and observers describe it as persecution over what they have written about the media.
From Michael Gibbs http://www.aus.ac.nz/
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TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Robie and Leary have been defended by USP. The Registrar, Sarojni Pillay, said in a statement that part of the work of academics in a university was to do research and to publish. This was part of their academic freedom, to work, lecture and publish in their area of research and expertise.
The lecturers have both been praised by their head of
department who commended their "outstanding" teaching and research. USP Staff Association President Dr Ganesh Chand also defended the pair.
AUS executive director Rob Crozier has written to the Fijian Prime
Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, and the Minister of Information, Senator
Filipe Bole, and also sent a message of support to Robie and Leary.
He points out in his letters that the Fiji government is a signatory
to the UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Higher Education
Teaching Personnel.
The recommendation stresses that "the principle of
academic freedom must be scrupulously observed" and that academic
staff should have the right to "fulfil their functions without
discrimination of any kind and without fear of repression by the state
or any other source".
Mr Crozier also alerted Robie and Leary to the
threats to academic freedom in New Zealand and the campaign AUS has been running on the issue.
AUS Tertiary Update, no. 22, 4 September 1998
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The Fijian government is investigating University of South Pacific
(USP) journalism academics David Robie and Ingrid Leary for alleged
work permit irregularities. Observers say, however, this is
persecution for material published in their media watch columns
published in a local newspaper and on an internet site.