Night class tradition under threat

Liz Godfrey

Evening classes in pottery, ballroom dancing, massage and wine appreciation could become a thing of the past under tough new funding rules.

Proposed regulations for community education mean that funding priority will go to courses that equip people with basic skills to get jobs, or give further education and training, or to function effectively in society.

That means teaching English to refugees would stay, cooking might just squeeze in, but guitar lessons for beginners would be out.

It signals the biggest shake-up in adult education in 100 years and has angered those who run and take classes, who say it will rip the heart out of communities nationwide.

Liz Godfrey started evening classes in woodwork in 1969. Since then the 57-year-old has done woodwork, acting, concrete garden sculpture and computing courses.

Mrs Godfrey eventually secured a full-time job as a co-ordinator for community education on the North Shore.

But she fears generations to come will not have the same chances because of the proposed new rules.

"It offers pathways to more education that people cannot otherwise afford, and is also a social event," Mrs Godfrey said.

"Night classes are part of our community. It's part of the life-long learning that the Government talks about."

The new rules are proposed as part of the Tertiary Education Commission's draft funding framework. It sets out a new approach to funding adult learning in schools, private training establishments, rural education activities programmes and community organisations.

Almost a quarter of a million New Zealanders enjoy the programmes, with 248 schools offering night classes nationwide.

Between them they share a total funding pool of $16.5 million.

President of the Community Learning Association through Schools, Mal Thompson, from Kaikorai Valley College in Dunedin, said with just that amount of money at stake, he struggled to understand why the commission saw the need for such radical change.

The new approach would be contestable funding, with certain types of courses receiving more money than others.

"Learning outcomes will need to be documented to fit into neat, tidy boxes that the TEC can tick off, although we know that community-based adult learning does not fit into tidy boxes," Mr Thompson said.

"We are in no doubt that by 2006 in some regions adult learning will disappear from schools altogether, and the TEC has admitted that they expect this to be the case."

Adult learners come from across society, and include university students looking for an interest, people wanting to meet others, couples looking for a shared activity and parents wanting time out.

A survey of 365 night-school learners by Queen Elizabeth College in Palmerston North last month showed just 7 per cent wanted to gain NCEA-type qualifications at night school.

A total of 95 per cent said they did the courses for personal satisfaction.

Colin Webb, TEC acting general manager, said concerns about the impact of the review on night classes were premature.

"All the Government wants is to ensure that the education being provided is based on a good understanding of all the community needs."

Schools that were well linked with their communities, and understood what the need was, should be "well-placed to seek ongoing funding within the new framework", said Dr Webb.

Submissions on the draft document close on May 6.