The Interim Education Minister said the suggestion by the Fijian Teachers Association to defer the establishment of the higher education is not practical.

Filipe Bole said the need to regulate higher education in Fiji is urgent and all stakeholders who participated in the consultation for the Higher Education Commission are those that the Ministry considers to be essential partners in the tertiary education sector.

Bole has assured FTA that there are structures already in existence within the Ministry which they can use to address issues concerning the union and its members.

He said the current lack of provisions in the Education Act for the establishment of universities in Fiji and regulation in the sector has been a major cause for concern due to the lack of control over standards and quality.

According to the Interim Minister, the lack of state control also offers no protection for the interest of Fiji students and the community which will compromise the national and international standing of higher education in Fiji.

Bole added any further delays in progressing the regulation that will guide the higher education sector in the country will aggravate matters.