The University of the South Pacific (USP) is once again the champion of the European Union – Fiji University Quiz Challenge held for the second time at the University’s Japan – Pacific ICT Multipurpose Theatre, Laucala Campus, on 7 May 2018.
This year, the win was an extra special one, as the participants dedicated it to the University as it celebrates its fifty (50) years of existence.
Team Captain, Neekhil Singh said that the win is one of the ways in which the students could give back to the University in terms of contributing to the many achievements that it has received in the past five (5) decades.
To Neekhil, the win was a result of the team effort and he thanked his team members for their contributions and effectively working as a team from preparations right till the time of the competition.
He also acknowledged the support of the team coach, Ms Valda Hoerder-Howard from the Strategic Partnerships, Advancement and Communications (SPAC) office for mentoring them through group meetings, provision of reading materials and generally guiding them throughout.
Neekhil shared that preparations were intense and at the same time stressful, as they had to juggle them with their assignments, report submissions, mid semester tests as well as preparations for final exam, adding that “despite all these, the team took out their time and effort to meet every day to revise as a group.”
Professor Rajesh Chandra, USP Vice-Chancellor and President said that the University’s win indicates the hard work that the participants and their coach have put in towards the Quiz.
More than this, Professor Chandra highlighted that the competition brought out a better understanding that USP students have of EU, what it does, its history and its plans.
He was also pleased by the margin of the win because as a regional institution, having dealt with the EU over a longer period, Professor Chandra said that USP students are expected to have a better understanding about them.
He further stated that the EU – Fiji University Quiz Challenge provided an excellent platform for the three (3) universities to test their knowledge of European history, EU – Fiji Cooperation, COP23 and the Oceans Conference.
“This is indeed a very innovative and progressive way to ensuring that our young generation remains engaged and acquires the needed knowledge of the development needs and partnerships with the EU for addressing these needs in the Pacific region,” Professor Chandra said.
The University community, he said, is pleased to host the important initiative by the EU for the second year and welcomed His Excellency, Mr Julian Wilson, Head of Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific as this was his first EU – Fiji University Quiz Challenge.
Professor Chandra mentioned that the success of the last Quiz gives a clear indication of the level of interest amongst the universities and how this contributes towards creating better awareness of EU’s contributions to the social and economic development of the Pacific, in particular, to the EU – Fiji Cooperation.
Talking about EU-USP cooperation, he said that through EU’s support, the University has achieved many good outcomes and looks forward to its continued support over the course of implementation for the remainder of the Strategic Plan 2013 – 2018 period.
Source: USP