Rajesh Chandra

Rajesh Chandra is a Fijian academic. In February 2005 he was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor of the newly founded University of Fiji. He served as Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of the South Pacific (USP) ending his term in December 2018.

Prof. Rajesh Chandra

Chandra was born in Maro in Nadroga Navosa Province. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at The University of the South Pacific with distinction. and holds a PhD in Industrial/Development Geography, which he completed between 1981 and 1985 at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of more than 45 articles in academic journals and books. He is also the author or editor of five books, including Industrialization and Development in the Third World and An Atlas of Fiji, which is used as a textbook in all Fijian secondary schools.

USP career

Chandra served on the staff of the University of the South Pacific (USP), the South Pacific Islands regional university, from 1975 to 2005, before taking up the Vice-Chancellorship of the new University of Fiji. He was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the USP for nine years, and also served for three years as Acting Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and Director of Planning and Development. From 1987 to 1988, he was Head of the School of Social and Economic Development, and from 1994 to 1996, of the Geography Department. In early June 2013, USP's council cleared Chandra of allegations (based on a petition circulated by a group called USP-devoted IE for Justice) of corruption and abuse of authority.[1][2]

After retiring from USP in December 2018, Chandra's successor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, alleged he had found evidence of significant abuse of office during Chandra's tenure.[3][4] This included the promotion and overpayment of favoured managers and the systematic abuse of allowances and privileges, amounting to millions of dollars.[5][6][7][8] The matter was investigated by New Zealand accounting firm BDO, which substantiated many of the allegations[9] but the report was suppressed by the USP Council.[10] The subsequent scandal over poor governance and mismanagement was widely documented in the international media.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The University Council decided to move the headquarters of USP from Fiji to Samoa in protest at the Fiji Government's interference in the management of the regional institution.[19][20][21]

International roles

Chandra served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Universities Study Abroad Consortium (CUSAC) from 1999 to 2003. He has been a visiting professor or research fellow at numerous institutions, including McGill University, the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Canterbury University, the National Centre for Development Studies of the Australian National University, and the Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center, in Honolulu.

Personal life

Chandra is married with a son and a daughter.

References
  1. FBC News
  2. Fiji Sun
  3. "NameBright - Coming Soon". www.wansolwaranews.com. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  4. Krishnamurthi, Sri. "USP mismanagement 'widespread', staff tell current affairs show | Asia Pacific Report". Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  5. "USP rocked by abuse allegations". www.islandsbusiness.com. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  6. "Allegations of mismanagement at USP". RNZ. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  7. "Usp Rocked by Abuse Allegations".
  8. "USP commits to 4th campus - Solomon Star News". www.solomonstarnews.com. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  9. "'THE BDO REPORT INTO RORT AT USP IS NOT HISTORY': Wadan Narsey". Fijileaks. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  10. "Secret report reveals widespread salary and allowance rorts at USP | Asia Pacific Report". Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  11. "'Witch-hunts' and whistleblowers: University of the South Pacific in crisis". the Guardian. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  12. Reporter, P. M. C. "Journalist reports on USP payments scandal as campus backs reform VC | Asia Pacific Report". Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  13. "USP Cook Islands backs 'clean out' bid in Fiji, avoids student disruption | Asia Pacific Report". Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  14. "Hard knocks at University of the South Pacific". www.lowyinstitute.org. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  15. "Albert Schram: University governance, academic freedom and institutional autonomy in the Pacific | Asia Pacific Report".
  16. "Leadership crisis besets University of the South Pacific". Times Higher Education (THE). 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  17. "University of South Pacific plagued by scandal". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  18. Sen, Sadhana (2020-10-20). "The USP saga: domestic politics versus regional aspirations". Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  19. "Pacific: Pal Ahluwalia relieved he'll be back at the helm of USP after being kicked out of Fiji". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 June 2021.
  20. "University of the South Pacific v-c secures reappointment". 9 August 2021.
  21. "Ahluwalia reappointed USP Vice-Chancellor and resumes job in Samoa".

Sources

The University of the South Pacific website

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