A meeting of the University of the South Pacific Council in Tonga is keeping the press at a distance, while it discusses what is understood to be important issues over the future leadership of the under-funded university, which has its main campus in Fiji.

The meeting held at the Fa'onelua Centre, Nuku'alofa, is attended by Pacific Ministers of Education.

Media offices in Tonga were informed this morning that although the meeting was a closed session, the official photo session was open.

However, when they got there all except the government-owned Tonga Chronicle staff were turned away from taking any photographs during the official photo session of the USP Council.

Photographers and journalists from the Matangi Tonga Online, the Talaki newspaper and Television Tonga, and others upon arrival at the centre were told by USP Tonga Director, Salote Fukofuka, that she thought that all media were allowed to take photos. But then she was informed that only the Tonga Chronicle was allowed to go through.

The Minister of Education is Tonga's representative to the meeting.