General News

CPIT is delighted to announce 100 new ‘CPIT Ara Ake Rise Up Scholarships’, aimed at supporting people keen to enter tertiary education in 2012. The scholarships acknowledge young academics, emerging leaders, sportspeople, and those committed to culture and their community.

The Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) has had a record October and a record year for Food Bank use.

Finding better ways to teach science still drives University of Waikato Faculty of Education senior lecturer Dr Anne Hume, the winner of this year’s Kudos Science Teacher/Educator/Communicator award.

By Karina Abadía

Low Maori participation in tertiary education has sparked an initiative to help Maori get into Auckland polytechnics, universities and wananga.

Maori Into Tertiary Education (MITE) project leader Maria Paenga says the ‘Pathwaying’ project will address a gap in Maori education that has always been there.

All Black Aaron Cruden was presented with a $5000 Massey University study award at his homecoming in Palmerston North.

“Organisations who work with children should stop talking and get serious about keeping these children safe,” says Anthea Simcock, chief executive of Child Matters. “There are still many child focused agencies who need to improve practices and procedures around protecting children.”

“We know that many organisations are concerned about how to protect children, but too many of the simple things are still not being done such as making sure the environment the children spend time in is safe and staff are appropriately trained to deal with all their needs,” she says.

The cost of study will go up yet again as borrowers are charged new fees in the Student Loan Scheme Act passed under urgency in Parliament last month. On the positive side, student representatives will celebrate good administrative changes in the Bill.

“This Bill was intended to improve the administration, efficiency and ease of use of the Student Loan Scheme, however the original draft contained several concerning clauses, particularly those altering repayment obligations from an annual to a pay-period system,”

Students around the country are urging National to be ‘rational’ and stop supporting ACT’s Bill to end universal membership of student’s associations. Rallies were scheduled to coincide with an originally scheduled Member’s Day in Parliament when the Bill was due to be debated further.

A nationwide campaign to get people talking about quality public education in ECE centres and primary schools is generating strong interest in centres, schools and communities all over the country.

The Speak Up for Education campaign organised by the NZEI, was launched in South Auckland last month.

Albany is now a learning hub for vocational education with the opening of Unitec’s Albany campus.   

The new campus was officially opened by Tertiary Minister of Education Steven Joyce at a ceremony last month.