Unitec CEO to meet design staff

Media release
3 December 2013
Tertiary Education Union

Unitec CEO to meet design staff

TEU members at Unitec have demanded a meeting with chief executive Rick Ede tomorrow morning, where they want him to explain the rationale behind his decision to make 50 of his 53 design and visual arts staff redundant. Unitec plans to replace its experienced and qualified teaching staff with casualised industry contractors.

The meeting is scheduled for Tues 4 December, 11.30am-12.30pm, Unitec, Mt Albert Campus, Building 001-2076.

Design and visual arts staff and students at the polytechnic are outraged at the proposal and have huge concerns about how it will affect the quality of education the department provides.

TEU national president Lesley Francey says the meeting is demanding Rick Ede re-assess the decision.

"What he proposes for Unitec has huge implications for the staff and students there. But it also has big implications for the rest of the country. We must not see this model of replacing professional permanent teachers with casualised contractors from industry take hold," said Lesley Francey.

"Teachers all have industry experience, but they also have teaching skills, an oversight of the entire curriculum, an understanding of assessment, and experience with teaching and learning. Education will suffer if Unitec throws those skills aside just so it can commercialise its links with industry."

ENDS

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