TEU Tertiary Update

Competent learners happy with competent teachers

Twenty-year-olds are largely happy with their tertiary teachers and education according to one of New Zealand's most comprehensive investigations into our education system. For nearly two decades the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER)’s Competent Learners study has followed some 500 children from just before they started school. In 2009 those 500 children had become 20-year-old adults and NZCER returned to 401 of them to find out how they had fared since they left school and what they were gaining from current study and employment.

The study found that young adults who had studied since school (84 percent of this sample) were largely positive about their learning experiences. Most thought their course would be value for money. Around 70 percent thought their post-school teachers worked hard to make their subjects interesting, provided helpful feedback on progress and were good at explaining things. Around the same proportion also thought their study was developing their problem-solving skills, ability to plan their own work and written communication skills.

Seventy-one percent of the 20-year-olds expected to study or train for a qualification more than once in their adult life, with those solely employed or neither studying nor employed more likely to mention the need for on-going interest. Qualifications were seen as ways to gain new knowledge and skills, rather than for pay or status reasons.

The report's author, Cathy Wylie, notes that the traditional model where the end of school marked the end of formal study has given way to further study—of some sort—being part of the post-school experience for most young people making their path into adulthood.

"The continuation of study post-school, which is rarely free, or as low-cost as school (70% of the young people at age 20 had a loan), raises some questions. Do we provide enough support for young people to make good decisions about the courses that will interest and develop them in ways that keep open or open doors for employment, further study and the ability to contribute to, and enjoy, life? Is every young person leaving school with the skills and knowledge to gain from post-school education, particularly those who leave without school qualification, or who have been disengaged in learning at school?"

Also in Tertiary Update this week:

1. Week of strike at CPIT brings mediation
2. NMIT stopwork rejects offer
3. Student membership bill passes amongst flurry of student opposition
4. Teachers speak out for equal pay for work of equal value
5. Last day to sign pay discrimination petitions
6. Aoraki Polytechnic threatens course closures across South Island towns
7. Other news

Week of strike at CPIT brings mediation

TEU members at CPIT have been on strike this week after the polytechnic refused to change its position from the one it presented last week. Yesterday afternoon TEU members held a noisy picket on Madras Street and they are still on strike and picketing today. However, CPIT  has agreed to TEU's request go to mediation on Friday. As a gesture of goodwill to demonstrate that members are committed to finding a settlement, and to reduce the disruption for students, TEU members have agreed they will suspend industrial action on Friday whilst mediation takes place.

"Academics and tutors at CPIT just want to retain their existing terms and conditions," said TEU organiser Phil Dodds. "They are not asking for anything new or special that tutors around the rest of the country don’t get. They just want to keep their leave and working hours entitlements that are common in polytechnics around the country."

TEU members have also offered a number of alternatives to CPIT so as to meet the employer’s requirements for productivity gains.

"Many staff here left their respective industries and took pay cuts to come to this job because they wanted to teach, but also because they were willing to trade income for a better work-life balance so that employees can have a choice about their ‘total remuneration’ package,' said Mr Dodds. Not sure if this makes sense

"TEU members are frustrated and feel that CPIT is not listening to their concerns or acknowledging the compromises the union is willing to make," said Mr Dodds.

NMIT stopwork rejects offer

A stopwork meeting of TEU members at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology today unanimously rejected the polytechnic's revised position to settle collective agreement negotiations. NMIT wants the ability to direct two weeks discretionary leave for a one percent remuneration increase for each week changed to directing professional development time. TEU members believe that this will eventually stifle their professional autonomy. TEU counter proposed that a mix of ‘controlling professional development time and being able to negotiate changes to discretionary leave’ would better meet NMIT’s needs and aspirations.

The polytechnic is also offering a two percent pay rise and a one off bonus for a one-year agreement. That will mean the two parties will be negotiating again in February 2012. NMIT's suggested one-year term is based upon their perceived uncertainty of government funding.  The TEU belives a settlement can be reached that is acceptable to both parties.

Student membership bill passes amongst flurry of student opposition

Parliament voted for the third and final time last night last night in favour of the Act Party's (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill. The New Zealand Herald, in its coverage of last night's political debate, now says the future of university and polytechnic student associations, "the focus of student life for decades", is looking uncertain.

However, TEU president Sandra Grey is not entirely convinced:

"Ironically what many have been seen as a not too subtle attempt by the ACT party to stifle students' voice and activism, may be backfiring on them as students find new enthusiasm and alternative ways to challenge the anti-education and anti-student policies of various parties and governments."

"While the bill itself is a sorry piece of legislation that will create nothing but problems and costs for future governments," said Dr Grey, "it is exciting to see a new generation of politically passionate and active students participating in their campus communities. Whether it is national lobbying and campaigning, writing letters and opinion pieces or protesting it is all part of a tertiary education tradition and culture that helps keep our democracy strong."

Currently in Australia the government is introducing a costly bill to rebuilding vital student services and amenities by allowing universities to charge a fee of up to $263 for 2012. The bill follows legislation similar to the Act Party's bill introduced by the previous government, which stripped universities of many of their student support networks, amenities and services.

Teachers speak out for equal pay for work of equal value

Next Wednesday Education International will be commemorating World Teachers Day, by reminding governments around the world of their commitments to promote and ensure equal pay for women and men for work of equal value.

TEU national president Sandra Grey says TEU will be supporting Education International's campaign.

"Pay equity is a fundamental matter of equality and fairness. When women are paid less than men for work of equal value, it goes against the basic principles of justice."

"Pay inequity has a heavy impact not only on women, but also on their families and communities," said Dr Grey. "When women are paid less, children suffer. Increases in women’s earnings are likely to be translated into improved investments in the economic and social sectors."

Education International notes that women’s right to equal pay for work of equal value, have been enshrined in conventions of the International Labour Organisation. It also has a website where you can send thank you cards to teachers and download pay equity resources such as posters and fact sheets.

Last day to sign pay discrimination petitions

As part of its on-going campaign for Pay and Employment Equity TEU is supporting the CTU's petition to encourage workers to invite Department of Labour inspectors into their workplaces to check the time and wage records of their employers for any discrimination.

CTU President, Helen Kelly said "The Ministers of Labour and Women’s Affairs have told us that new legislation is not needed because workers can already find out pay information by asking a Labour Inspector to investigate a complaint. We do not believe inspectors have the capacity to do this role and think that if workers are able to have the information first – then complaints to the inspectors will be based on knowledge of pay inequality rather than relying on the inspectors in the first instance to inspect all workplaces. However the Minister has said the current system will work and we are going to test it!"

"We’re not aware of anyone ever using the mechanism that the Ministers say exists – but that needs to be demonstrated”.

Tomorrow is the last day to submit petitions. So far TEU branches at Waiariki Institute of Technology, the University of Otago and the University of Waikato have all submitted petitions. If TEU members at other branches wish to submit a petition, either individually or as a group they should contact their branch women's representative.

Aoraki Polytechnic threatens course closures across South Island towns

Aoraki Polytechnic is planning to shut courses across the South Island, affecting hundreds of students in Ashburton, Timaru and Oamaru, Christchurch and Dunedin. But TEU organiser Kris Smith says the decision is inappropriate and will disadvantage hundreds of local community learners.

In Ashburton the closures will affect 84 students and two staff. Among them is young 19-year-old Samantha Quinton who is organising a protest and has a petition circulating to save the Life Skills course she is taking at Ashburton’s branch of the polytechnic.

The Ashburton Guardian reports that Aoraki is planning to discontinue some courses to fit the Government’s tertiary education policy, but wants to protect the course she is doing for future students.

"Before I did Life Skills, I did not know how to do a CV or a job interview. The Life Skills tutors teach you all that, those basic skills you need in everyday life, and they have bent over backwards to help," said Ms Quinton.

In Timaru 182 students and three staff will be affected, and in Oamaru 102 students and two staff will see courses closed. In all three towns the courses the polytechnic wishes to close are computing and life skills programmes.

In Christchurch 76 students and five staff will be affected when courses in TV and radio and the Diploma in Sport and Fitness are both closed.

In Dunedin 109 students and seven staff will be affected when web design, advertising design, creative writing, 3D animation, film, TV and radio courses are all closed.

The polytechnic has said it is 'rationalising' its courses on offer said Ms Smith.

"But it does not seem rational when the threatened courses are not offered by other providers in their local communities," said Ms Smith.

"For instance, the life skills programme in Oamaru is very popular and incredibly important to the community. Most of the students are young women who will now lose access to an important local learning opportunity."

"The computing courses are important for people of many ages and backgrounds and in Oamaru and Ashburton no-one else is offering the courses that successfully target second chance learners in this way – 1 to 1 delivery in combination with self-paced learning."

Other news

TEU says profits at polytechnics are too high and need to be reined in. Overall, the polytechnic sector recorded a $90 million surplus last year and $70 million the year before. This is equivalent to about 8.3% and 6.9% of their income respectively - Radio NZ

In the first year back at work, Australian women who have had a child can expect to earn around four per cent less per hour on average than they would if they had not had a child, the research shows; this equates to $1,566 a year in foregone wages per person. Mothers are losing about $126 million per year in foregone wages across the workforce as a result - Australian Policy Online

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic students are struggling to get to morning classes on time because of the city's bus schedule. Two architecture classmates at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic say Papamoa students are being disadvantaged because there isn't an early bus that will take them into Tauranga - Bay of Plenty Times

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce has warned protesting university students to keep their heads down lest they draw attention to their relatively privileged position in hard economic times - New Zealand Herald

The extent of New Zealand's brain-drain has been revealed in a new study which shows only around two-thirds of doctoral graduates are employed in this country in the years immediately following their graduation - Sunday Star Times

Fiji's military government has dramatically stepped up its harassment of trade unionists. Recently FTUC President Daniel Urai was arrested for holding an ‘illegal’ meeting. In February, Felix Anthony, General Secretary of the FTUC and of the Sugar Workers’ Union affiliated to the ITF and the IUF was taken from home by three uniformed military officers and subjected to threats - Labour Start

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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.

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