Tertiary school a first

BY IMOGEN NEALE

A world-first "tertiary high school" designed to catch students before they lose their way and drop out of education will open in Otara next year.

The new Manukau Institute of Technology school will take 80 to 100 year 11 students who aren’t achieving at school and enrol them in a four-year vocational or technical qualification.

It will be based at the former Bairds Intermediate School site on Otara Rd opposite MIT’s north block and will take students from 24 high schools in an area stretching from Otahuhu to Pukekohe.

When the students graduate, some potentially as young as 18, they will walk away with national certificate of educational achievement level 3 and a diploma.

Some might choose to start a degree rather than complete a diploma, in which case they’ll stay on at MIT once they’ve graduated.

The programme is the brainchild of MIT’s external relations director Stuart Middleton.

The idea came to him in 2007 when he was in the United States on a Fulbright scholarship.

"I saw the extent to which kids disengage from their schooling and their chances at higher education are either non-existent or highly limited."

For almost two years he’s worked on the idea – presenting it first to the Labour government and then the National government after last year’s election.

"It’s some source of pleasure that two governments have approved it," he says.

And while the "last little bits of detail" are still being figured out Dr Middleton says the programme is now at "the point of implementation".

Students who enrol in the tertiary high school – either by choice or after a school’s recommendation – will have virtually the full catalogue of MIT courses open to them.

"Once they make a decision about the direction they want to go, all their learning will be directed towards that goal."

Students will spend most of their time in mainstream classes that have an average student age of 29.

The hope is that the older students’ diligence and dedication to education will rub off on their teenage understudies.

"They’ll be mixing with people who have jobs, families, responsibilities and know the importance of having skills," Dr Middleton says.

Four secondary teachers will also be employed to support and supervise the students, keep them on track and combat any negative influences.

Dr Middleton says he’s seen similar programmes but none that collaborate with secondary schools.

"And they tend not to target kids that the schools don’t think they can get through."

Education Minister Anne Tolley gave the project the green light last week as part of the youth opportunities package.

"While similar to trade academies, this initiative is on a faster track and will involve shared funding arrangements between tertiary and schooling funding streams," she says.

In giving the project the go-ahead the government has also had to fast-track a law change so that year 11 students aged under 16 can take part. The legal school leaving age is 16.

Dr Middleton says MIT staff are now working with schools and a principals’ advisory group to fine-tune the student selection process, a system he hopes to have finalised next month.

- © Fairfax NZ News