Manukau cuts Foundation Studies and English again

Media release
Tertiary Education Union - Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa
16 November 2016

Manukau cuts Foundation Studies and English again

Manukau Institute of Technology plans to make big cuts to Foundation Studies and English as well as reviewing Visual Arts; all areas which have already experienced recent cuts.

In 2014 MIT halved the number of people working in its Foundation Studies and English programmes.

TEU Organiser Chan Dixon says the polytechnic's senior managers have left both programmes to flounder since then.

"The people who remained after the last round of cuts have been doing their best, despite not having enough money, organisation or leadership at the highest levels. Now they now face yet more cuts."

MIT is now proposing to cut the number of people working in English Language in half again, to close foundation studies completely, and to redeploy a small number of people to Nursing.

"It defies belief that, in South Auckland, which continues to have a higher proportion of young, Māori, and Pasifika people not in training or employment, MIT is getting rid of Foundation Studies," says Dixon.

Alongside these proposed cuts, people working in Visual Arts have also received a review proposal.

The review seeks to cut all Visual Arts jobs, and forces people to reapply for a similar number of new jobs.

TEU is concerned that the proposed review not only lacks transparency, but if implemented will have significant impacts on the local community and beyond. "We are working with MIT to try to change it," says Dixon.

ends

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