Comments on: Will the Govt deny kiwis a second chance at higher education?

By: James

James — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:55:45 +0000

Everyone deserves a second chance – we pressure young people to make decisions early in life when we’re still learning what we want for ourself. It’s sad that the scheme may be taken away – it’s not the politicians that’ll be affected…

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By: wikiriwhi

wikiriwhi — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:31:12 +0000

Now the govt’s saying Parents have to pay more for Kindergartens.

The education sector is being attacked right through.

It’s obvious older graduates are not going to find employment even with quals. Bizarrely, employers want exp, but the govt only wants to educate the inexperienced.

Obviously, the job market is going to be thrown open to the under 25′s. Employment criteria paradigms are going to adjust for them and everyone else can suffer.

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By: MMB33

MMB33 — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:38:52 +0000

To eliminate adult education @ tertiary level is pathetic. Cutting back on tertiary cost to place capital in other ares which benefit who?? Claiming to focus on the less 20yr olds, pathetic excuse. To grandiose the new focus is typical manipulation from neoliberalism.

Increase the unemployment rate, national think thats excellent! of course it is, its cheaper to have them on the unemployment rate than at university. ***###$$$

But don’t cut back the high income earners approved by national. CEO’s getting paid ***&&###.

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By: StephenR

StephenR — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:19:51 +0000

Good point Falkor. I (and a LOT of others) seemed to have missed something in the transition from high school to university. Not many were well prepared.

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By: Falkor

Falkor — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:37:30 +0000

I have to say that I was a mature student in the UK and to gain entrance into University I had to do an “Access to Higher Education” Course. This certainly prepared me for University expectations, just a shame the school leavers weren’t prepared the same way!

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By: frog

frog — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:55:11 +0000

David has made a facebook group for those who are into that http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=10150094294335427

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By: wilbur!

wilbur! — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:08:23 +0000

key’s a keynsenian?? he actually has ideologies?? here i was thinking he was just doing what people told him too…

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By: greenfly

greenfly — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:40:05 +0000

And the two haven’t been in touch since …?

Lordy!

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By: wikiriwhi

wikiriwhi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:47:50 +0000

Fortunately, I am currently on the tail end of a bachelors and hoping to begin another degree at uni next year.

I’m doing a level 3 IT course for 6 months to fill in time then finish the degree in November.

I think I got myself a step ahead of the National govt who obviously feel no loyalty to to socialist filled tertiary providers.

Bit strange when you consider Key is a Keynesian socialist.

I don’t think his ideology is much different from Helen’s.

He did sleep with her behind his parties back on the anti smacking law.

And yes Greenfly, a lord did visit Key for a few hours before the last election then immediately flew back to England.

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By: A Mother

A Mother — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:02:02 +0000

As it stands now you CANNOT enter most bachelor degrees without proving you can work at Uni level.

To prove you can work at that level you enter Uni as over 20, sit a few papers related to the degree you want to do, pass, and then apply for the degree you want, and cross credit the papers over. (This is called a Certificate in Uni Prep)

That is the way it worked for me and now I’m in my first year.

I am in my 30′s. I’ve thought long and hard about what I want to do and its not a snap decision. I’ve done two papers and know I’ve made the right choice.

Older students are not the ones who typically muck around. They usually have their head screwed on, know what they want to do, and work hard thankful that they have the chance. They don’t take it for granted. Some have families, some just want to get ahead, some could be trades people wanting to do some business papers in order to open their own business in the trade they are qualified in.

If they take away automatic entry, what way is there to prove you can work at that level and get ahead?

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By: greenfly

greenfly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:30:15 +0000

wikiriwhi wonders,

“where they get these ideas from”

Some Lord or other, I suppose…

http://whoar.co.nz/2010/john-keys-special-friendlord-ashcroftis-in-a-bit-of-tax-strifelord-ashcrofts-secret-tax-deal-saved-him-millions/

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By: photonz1

photonz1 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:19:00 +0000

David Clendon is making false assumptions, that availability to an adult university education he enjoyed would be axed by the government.

All it is is a common sense entry test. It would stop some people wasting their time, their money (paying back a student loan), and taxpayers money (loan interest and course costs).

If someone like David can gain two degrees, then obviously a basic entry test would not be the barrier to adult education he seems to claim it will be.

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By: StephenR

StephenR — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:02:02 +0000

Woohoo FASCISM!!

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By: wikiriwhi

wikiriwhi — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:13:27 +0000

Very, very fearful

They would never have used this as an election vote grabber.

THe majority of New Zealander’s are over 30. Lets hope the public will make their feelings well and truly known over this fascist move against the masses bettering themselves.

Makes you wonder where they get these ideas from. London would be a good bet. This is what happens in education in England.

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By: katie

katie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:11:24 +0000

Here’s the ‘missing piece’ for those puzzled about why we had the New Start policy – when School Cert was designed, it was made so that exams results MUST fit a perfect bell-curve every year, and that 50% of each cohort MUST fail, every year.
(NCEA has been in development since 1985 or so, to change that short-sighted 1950′s educational goal)

Because this was not explained to the hapless students, people of varying abilities were ‘failed’ at age 15 (like Dave Clendon).

In the mid-eighties, it was realised that a lot of people without jobs were bright enough to do university, we (not the royal one, the Department of Education one) just didn’t need to let them know they’d been needlessly failed.
Chug, chug, there goes the increase in mature students from then – I took language papers with a whole raft of grannies who were the original Kohanga Reo teachers, going through in 1988 or so.
Most of my undergrad degree was done straight from school, in the 80′s, so when I went back to complete it there weren’t any hoops I had to fly through, as I’d proven competancy.

There are currently programs like CUP (Certificate of University Proficiency) to matriculate those who haven’t studied in a long time, and have no other formal qualifications.
A lot of the current crop are getting pinged for less-than-ideal level 3 NCEA marks, and made to do transition programmes for a semester – unreasonable, by my estimation, since in our day we matriculated on UE in 6th form & could go to uni straight away if desired; most stayed on to do bursary & schol exams, for better remuneration on STB.
[Unless, like my ex-brother-in-law, you were expelled from your posh private school for being publicly drunk in uniform while celebrating UE accrediting.... not an uncommon occurrance, I understand...]

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By: StephenR

StephenR — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:54:42 +0000

Oh yeah…forgot about the bridging courses..

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By: tomfarmer

tomfarmer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:40:39 +0000

Excuse me – still learning – being over 20 is the sole criteria for access to uni.? There’s no gateway.. like an exam.. or language proficiency etc.?

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By: stephensmikm

stephensmikm — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:50:02 +0000

I do not see the problem with this action if it becomes more than just a rumour provided the correct steps are taken. An entry exam for instance would be perfectly fine to make sure that the people whatever age they are who are enrolling for university have the required literacy skills to be able to take the courses. If you rock up to university you have to be expected to write at least essays of 1500 words or more in the BA departments though I couldn’t comment on any other area though certainly similar rules could be accommodating there as well.

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By: wilbur!

wilbur! — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:25:09 +0000

hmm. David wouldn’t your New Start programme have counted as criteria for university entrance regardless of age? i’m first year at Victoria Uni and have some mates who are doing what i assume is a similar course, because they didn’t get UE and don’t want to wait till they’re 20 nor go back to school. For that matter, friends I know who have gone back to education after dropping out of high school all took either a bridging course at Uni or went back to high school prior to starting as an undergraduate, and it seems to have worked for them. perhaps i’m wrong and “the real world” already gives people these skills? but if this was the case surely they could get in on discretionary entrance?

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By: greenfly

greenfly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:19:14 +0000

You’re a multi-talented tree!

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