The deported vice-chancellor of the University of the South Pacific says booming student enrolments are a vote of confidence in the regional institution.
Pal Ahluwalia said numbers are up 23 percent on last year.
Professor Ahluwalia was arrested and deported with his wife last week by Fiji authorities.
The lack of consultation with other regional government partners in the university has led to a formal USP Council investigation.
University of the South Pacific (USP) vice-chancellor and president Pal Ahluwalia. Photo: USP
Pal Ahluwalia said the 'saga' is a distraction from the strong performance of the university.
Despite his sidelining, he said it's good to see the university flourish.
"It shows that our students are voting with their feet. I've been making this very clear that the USP is bigger than any single person and I'm confident that if and when I'm allowed to return to my position, wherever it is, that we will just become stronger and stronger."
Ahluwalia said he's proud of the USP's executive, directors and academic staff for achieving such strong results.
"Confident the team will get the academic year off to a strong start despite my recent arrest in Fiji and deportation to Australia," he said.
The actions of the Fiji government and USP Council representatives are being being investigated by a sub-committee of the regional institution.
Response to deportation in Fiji
Fiji's Law Society and human rights coalition have joined the widespread condemnation of the arrests and deportation of Ahluwalia and his wife Sandra Price.
The NGO Coalition for Human Rights said the extreme force employed by Immigration officials and police was unacceptable and unjustified.
The deportations come after months of tensions between the university and the Fiji government, with staff and student protests erupting in June following the removal of professor Ahluwalia and ongoing allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement.
The Coalition said the strong-armed approach by government does not reflect democratic principles or the human rights values Fiji champions in its role as president of the UN Human Rights Council.
Meanwhile, Fiji's Law Society said deportation is not an answer to allegations of impropriety.
It calls on the government to follow the rule of law saying no authority should exercise undue force when there are mechanisms to deal with such matters.
USP vice-chancellor Pal Ahluwalia speaking at a university opening. Photo: USP
