The accelerating climate crisis—manifested through global warming, sea-level rise, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and growing food insecurity, has exposed deep contradictions within dominant models of modernization and development. While technological advancement, economic growth, and globalization have long been celebrated as markers of human progress, these same forces have contributed significantly to ecological degradation and climate vulnerability. This paper critically interrogates the question of responsibility for the climate crisis by examining the interconnected roles of education systems, governance structures, development policies, globalization, and technological transformation. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from environmental education, critical development theory, political ecology, and governance studies, the paper argues that the climate crisis is not the result of isolated failures but of systemic and institutionalized paradigms that prioritize economic growth over ecological sustainability and social justice.

The analysis highlights how education systems have often reproduced growth-centric ideologies, instrumental views of knowledge, and skills-for-growth narratives, while insufficiently fostering ecological consciousness, ethical responsibility, and critical sustainability thinking. At the governance and policy level, weak accountability mechanisms, fragmented environmental regulation, and inequitable development models have exacerbated environmental degradation, particularly in the Global South and climate-vulnerable regions such as small island developing states. The paper further critiques techno-solutionist approaches that frame innovation as a panacea, obscuring structural inequalities and deflecting responsibility from political and institutional actors.

By reframing responsibility as collective, multi-scalar, and historically situated, this study advances a more nuanced understanding of climate accountability that moves beyond blame toward systemic transformation. It proposes a re-conceptualisation of education as a transformative force for ecological literacy, ethical reasoning, and civic engagement, alongside governance reforms that embed transparency, accountability, and sustainability at the core of development decision-making. The paper contributes to contemporary debates by offering an integrated conceptual lens for understanding the paradoxes of modern development and by outlining pathways toward more just, inclusive, and sustainable futures in an era of escalating climate risk.

The global higher education landscape is increasingly dominated by Western-centric accreditation standards and university ranking systems, often framing institutional quality and legitimacy through a narrow, Euro-American lens. This dominance has significant implications for Indigenous universities and knowledge systems, which are frequently marginalized or devalued despite their critical contributions to cultural preservation, community engagement, and locally relevant scholarship. Drawing on a critical review of accreditation frameworks, global ranking methodologies, and case studies of Indigenous institutions, this paper interrogates whose knowledge is prioritized in global higher education. It highlights the structural inequities that favor Western epistemologies, the challenges Indigenous universities face in gaining recognition, and the broader consequences for educational sovereignty and epistemic justice. The study advocates for reconceptualizing quality assurance and recognition systems to inclusively value diverse epistemologies, promote culturally responsive higher education, and advance the legitimacy of Indigenous knowledge within global academic discourse.

Career counselling and guidance are critical in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education, facilitating the transition from academic preparation to professional readiness. This paper examines the role of structured counselling interventions, assessment tools, and personalized guidance in enabling students to make informed career choices. Drawing on contemporary career development theories, including Super’s Life-Span, Life-Space Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory, the study highlights how career guidance enhances self-awareness, goal clarity, employability skills, and alignment between personal values and professional pathways. Evidence indicates that students engaging in career counselling demonstrate greater confidence, proactive planning, and resilience in navigating complex labour markets. Institutional and contextual factors, such as accessibility, technological integration, and cultural responsiveness, influence the effectiveness of these services. The findings underscore the strategic importance of embedding comprehensive career guidance frameworks within tertiary institutions to promote student success, lifelong employability, and societal contribution. Implications for policy, practice, and future research in higher education career services are discussed.

The evolution of formal education in Fiji is inseparable from the broader historical processes of colonisation, cultural encounter, and socio-political transformation that have shaped the nation since the nineteenth century. This paper critically re-examines the historical trajectory of education in Fiji from the Deed of Cession in 1874 to the contemporary era of decolonisation, with particular attention to the roles of missionary enterprises, colonial administration, and the indentured labour system in structuring educational access, curriculum content, and social stratification. Drawing on historical and postcolonial scholarship, the study analyses how early indigenous systems of knowledge transmission were marginalised through the imposition of Western epistemologies, Christian moral instruction, and racially differentiated schooling models designed to serve colonial economic and governance objectives.

The paper further explores how education functioned as a tool of social control during the colonial period, reinforcing ethnic divisions between Indigenous iTaukei communities and Indo-Fijian descendants of indentured labourers, while simultaneously limiting pathways to higher education and leadership for colonised populations. Following independence in 1970, Fiji’s education system entered a complex phase of reform marked by efforts to expand access, promote national cohesion, and reassert cultural identity, yet continued to reflect deep-seated colonial legacies in curriculum design, language policy, and assessment practices. By situating Fiji’s educational development within wider global debates on decolonisation and postcolonial education reform, this paper highlights the enduring tensions between inherited colonial structures and contemporary aspirations for culturally responsive, inclusive, and equitable education.

The study contributes to the growing body of Pacific and global South scholarship by offering a historically grounded, critical analysis of education in Fiji, and by identifying key lessons for current policy and curriculum reform initiatives aimed at decolonising knowledge systems and repositioning education to meet the social, cultural, and developmental needs of a postcolonial society.