TEU Tertiary Update Vol 12 No 18

CONCERN OVER GROWING WORKLOADS

Ever-growing workloads for staff across the tertiary sector is a problem that needs to be addressed before it starts to significantly erode the quality of education students receive, says TEU president Tom Ryan.

“Over recent months we have seen the pressure growing in polytechnics and institutes of technology, with many teachers rightly pointing out that the number of contact hours they have with students doesn’t leave them enough time in a normal working week to do all the other things that contribute to good learning”.

In universities many staff are also feeling the pressure. The TEU is discussing ways it can address the problem members at negotiation claims meetings this month. The immediate solutions are likely to be different for academic and general staff.

Tertiary education staff are not alone in facing growing workloads – workload is being increasingly recognised in New Zealand as a factor in workplace stress, which is a health and safety hazard.

“Excessive workload is, in large part, a cultural problem we need to front up to. New Zealand has some of the longest working hours in the OECD and it’s not in our members’ interests”,,, said Dr Ryan. “Employers with strategies to support work-life balance increase their employee engagement and therefore discretionary effort and productivity. In tertiary education that would mean less stress, and thus better teaching and learning. Piling on the overtime – paid or unpaid – simply is no longer viable.”

ALSO IN TERTIARY UPDATE THIS WEEK:

1. End to Lincoln-AgResearch merger
2. Six urban polytechnics leave ITPNZ
3. Will local councils still work with tertiary education institutes?
4. Minister disputes value of adult education
5. Divine Word to go paperless

END TO LINCOLN-AGRESEARCH MERGER

Lincoln University and crown research institute AgResearch called off their planned merger this week, proposing to set up a partnership model instead.

The proposed merger had earlier been hailed by the two parties as a venture that would generate millions of dollars of both wealth and research value for New Zealand’s farming sector.

AgResearch’s CEO, Andy West, told the Christchurch Press that the recession meant the merger was no longer feasible. Although it would provide long-term benefits, one-off costs such as aligning systems and pay rates would not be able to be met by the Government. However, he also said that the merger would not be revived even when the economy improved.

TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs said the revised plan was a positive one for staff at Lincoln.

“We’ve felt throughout the last few months that staff at Lincoln University were not being shown enough information from the consultation process to indicate that the merger was viable and had been fully thought through.”

“The alternative knowledge partnership model, with the two organisations remaining as separate entities, seems like a better and safer model for employees, as well as preserving the particular research and teaching functions of both institutions. Working collaboratively never needed a merger anyway.”

Ms Riggs said TEU members had been expressing increasing concern about what the merger might mean for academic freedom, financial viability post-merger,, implications for students, commercialisation of tertiary education, and a worry that post-grad students might been seen as cheap labour for research.

PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff expressed similar sentiments in relation to the 500 PSA members working at AgResearch.

“Amalgamation would have involved a disruptive and expensive restructuring,” he said.

SIX URBAN POLYTECHNICS LEAVE ITPNZ

Unitec, MIT, Wintec, WelTec, CPIT and Otago Polytechnic have decided to cancel their memberships of ITPNZ, according to an announcement by the peak body earlier this week. If effected, the withdrawals will take place ending in December, after a six month notice period.

“The decision of six institutes of technology and polytechnics to withdraw from ITP New Zealand and set up their own group represents a major shift for New Zealand’s ITP sector”, said James Buwalda, Chairperson of ITPNZ. “That choice is regretted, but respected.”

"While this group of ITPs has chosen to work together, collaborations across the ITP sector will continue to be important for supporting high-quality and cost-effective vocational learning for New Zealanders”, said Buwalda.

ITPNZ had no further comment on the withdrawals, but TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs is disappointed by the news.

“A collaborative national network of polytechnics and institutes of technology is important to our education system,” said Ms Riggs. “I believe whatever problems those urban polytechnics are facing are better addressed within a cohesive nationwide team than alone. It’s important, at this juncture, that stakeholders in the tertiary education system resist the impulse return to competing against each other. We need to work together, and representative national bodies like ITPNZ are a good way to help that happen.”

WILL LOCAL COUNCILS STILL WORK WITH TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTES?

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide’s review of local councils could sever the relationship those councils have with their local tertiary institutions, warns TEU president Tom Ryan.

Mr Hide is proposing law changes that could divide council spending between core services, which councils could automatically spend money on, and "extras" that could require approval from ratepayers by way of referendum.

The Local Government Act 2001 give councils powers of general competence, allowing them to undertake almost any activity for local communities. Mr Hide is concerned that those powers are too broad and wants to limit the scope of council powers. He wants removal of the requirement for councils to be involved with "community outcomes" such as social, environmental and cultural "wellbeing". The Cabinet has approved Mr Hide's request for the Department of Internal Affairs to review the law.

Dr Ryan says this move poses dangers to the symbiotic relationship many councils have with their local tertiary education institutions.

“A classic example is the work the Gisborne and Wairoa District Councils are doing with Tairawhiti Polytechnic as part of the Tairawhiti Development Trust. The minister may not see it as core business, but many of the people of that district, who are experiencing its benefits do. It’s right and proper that democratically elected councils should be allowed to work collaboratively with tertiary institutions if they choose to. I’d hope that the review takes into account the benefits that come from this sort of ‘non-core’ cooperation,” said Dr Ryan.

MINISTER DISPUTES VALUE OF ADULT EDUCATION

A question in parliament last week by Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell to the Minister of Education, Hon Anne Tolley, elicited a claim by her that many adult education courses are ‘hobby courses’.

Mr Flavell asked if the Minister had read the PricewaterhouseCoopers report that concluded community-based education has an estimated economic benefit to the country of up to $6.3 billion annually.

“Does she agree that adult and community education is likely to have one of the highest added values in economic terms, as it is largely focused on improving people’s productive lives through learning?”

Mrs Tolley responded that she had seen that report:

“But the advice I have received is that the courses on literacy and numeracy and on the foundation skills do the heavy lifting in terms of producing the economic benefit from community-based education. That is why the Government is going to prioritise its spending in those areas, and not on courses that teach people hobbies such as concrete shell mosaics, and Moroccan cooking.”

Adult educator and chef, Sabine Schneider, who teaches ‘baking for beginners’, is furious at this description.

“More than 200,000 New Zealanders enrol in adult and community education (ACE) courses each year, most of which will not be offered from 2010. This is because of the 80 percent cut in funding that our new and not-at-all-improved National government has announced in their latest budget.”

“The students in my current Baking for Beginners class are mostly from Asia. Some of them are using the class not just to learn the basics of baking, but also to practice their English in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. It's an affordable class and I'm so sorry for the immigrants who won't have that option any more. They and people on low incomes are the ones who will miss out – yet again,” Ms Schneider concludes.

You can read more at the soon to be established website www.stopnightclasscuts.org.nz

DIVINE WORD TO GO PAPERLESS

Divine Word University (DWU) in Papua New Guinea is to go paperless next year as its contribution to protecting the natural environment. To ensure the success of the ‘paperless policy’, the university also is planning to issue every student with a laptop each next year.

Apart from environmental concerns, another key reason is the increasing costs of paper, printing and photocopying.

By investing heavily in ICT, the university believes it can do away with the use of paper and the associated costs.

The DWU main campus is one of the few places in the country that has wireless hotspots that can allow students with laptops to do their work away from the computer labs.

Money to fund the laptops is expected to come from the university’s supermarket and bakery, which were opened early this year.

Students have shown mixed reactions to the ‘paperless policy’, with some describing it as ‘good’, while others are concerned it will make them more dependent on technology which they saw as a problem in a developing country like PNG.

“It’s a good thing because we don’t have to work hard to write out our assignments and other things, all we do is type them up and send them by email,” said Nellie Marita, a journalism student.

However, her fellow course mate, Sheila Malken, had more practical concerns.

“I don’t like the idea because here in Madang we face a lot of power failures and also shortages of fuel can cause problems when using computers and laptops.Another thing is that is we can easily pick up a pen and a paper to do our work instead of waiting for these things to come to us.”

By Patrick Matbob at Island Business

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TEU Tertiary Update is published weekly on Thursdays and distributed freely to members of the Tertiary Education Union and others. You can subscribe to Tertiary Update by email or feed reader. Back issues are available on the TEU website. Direct inquiries should be made to Stephen Day, email: stephen.day@teu.ac.nz

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