Some University of the South Pacific students have joined the staff who are protesting against Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia leadership at Laucala Campus in Suva.

While the Vice Chancellor is away in Samoa attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, students say they feel for their tutors and the issues they claim they are facing.

Third-year student Bernadette says she is not impressed with the Vice Chancellor and his management of USP.

“He is not a good leader like what he is doing; he is not coming around to check on the facility and everything. Seeing that everything is running normally, he is always going in and out of the country.”

Another student who wants to remain unanimous as he is running for student election shares similar sentiments.

Meanwhile, Association of the USP Staff General Secretary Rosie Fatiaki claims that studies have been further impacted with consultants leaving the classrooms.

“As of yesterday, a student has reported that a consultant has withdrawn from teaching them, and this is the last week of classes, so the students are really caught in the situation where they are really just dumped and they don’t know what’s next for them.”

Fatiaki says union members on strike just want to be assured that an investigation into Professor Pal Ahluwalia begins and a report is tabled before the USP Council when they meet next month.

She says the sooner something is done, the sooner things get back to normal.

Meanwhile, yesterday, a statement from USP said no one has left, and students learning has not been affected.

The protest is now in its fourth day, and Fatiaki says they will not move until they see some progress.