Maori radio courses get okay

Controversial Maori "sing-along" and language radio community courses run by the Eastern Institute of Technology have been given the thumbs up by the Tertiary Education Commission.

The free courses came under the spotlight when it was revealed last month the institute received $5.1 million of taxpayer funding to run them last year, and that New Zealand First MPs Ron Mark and Edwin Perry had signed up for the programmes late one evening, last year, in a Rotorua burger bar.

The commission audited the courses' enrolments following NZ First education spokesman Brian Donnelly questioning whether it was possible to determine how many of the 8000 people enrolled actually took part.

In a written statement, Max Kerr, from the commission, said he visited the institute on April 1 and had a discussion with institute chief executive Bruce Martin on issues relating to community education.

"On the basis of this discussion and the material seen, [the institute] provided clear evidence that the radio programmes, He Waiata Ma Te Whanau Radio and Korokoro Kiwaha Part 1 Radio, have been well designed and well run in accordance with the Government's policy for community education and EIT's own quality standards."

Mr Martin said he welcomed Mr Kerr's comments and that the institute had always been "very confident" about "what we had done and how we had done it".

The institute planned to offer radio courses again this year based around Maori language and custom.

The eight-week courses involved students tuning into the radio and following 40 one-hour lessons, reading aloud or singing along to songs.

As with other community education programmes, students' work was not assessed and they did not receive a formal qualification.

Tertiary Education Minister Steve Maharey announced a review of community education courses after it was found costs had ballooned from $16 million in 2000 to a projected $115 million this year.

- NZPA