Professor Pal Ahluwalia Resigns as USP Vice-Chancellor

Education Minister Aseri Radrodro has confirmed that Professor Pal Ahluwalia, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific (USP), verbally resigned during a USP Council meeting held in the Cook Islands last year.

Radrodro stated that Ahluwalia expressed his intention to resign, and the resignation was documented in the meeting minutes.

However, the university is still awaiting formal written confirmation of his resignation.

The USP Council will address the matter in its upcoming meeting to proceed with appointing a new Vice-Chancellor.

This announcement follows significant unrest within the university, where staff unions expressed dissatisfaction with Ahluwalia’s leadership.

In August 2024, a vote of approximately 95% of the staff union members supported strike action, calling for his removal due to unresolved grievances, including governance issues and the dismissal of union president Dr. Tamara Osborne-Naikatini.

As of now, the university awaits the official written resignation from Professor Ahluwalia before taking the next steps.