Twenty-years of night schooling in South Wairarapa has come to an end after government budget cuts.
There will be no more adult education classes taking place at Kuranui College in 2010.
The decision was made after the board of trustees and adult students said they could not meet the costs.
The recently made
redundant Ace co-ordinator and ex-Kuranui principal Grey Tuck said the closure would have a huge effect on the community.
"I am bitterly disappointed," he said.
In 2009 the Kuranui College taught over 300 night school students in Greytown, Carterton and Featherston.
"That is a high a number for a rural community," Mr Tuck said.
He said the courses brought the community together and it would be a huge loss for Wairarapa.
"We have lost a source of social cohesion and the variety of courses we had are not readily available in Wairarapa.
Mr Tuck enjoyed seeing the people help each other out.
"Quilters would come together and share resources and expertise," he said.
He said the classes meant a lot to participants.
"There is a lot of lonely old people that looked forward to their classes and having a common interest with a group of people."
Classes included sustainable living, tai chi (for people with medical problems such as arthritis), cooking, woodwork, felting, aerobics, quilting, computing and French.
The Government-funded courses now include only ones that are numeracy, literacy and Te Reo Maori based.
"There is no market for those classes Wairarapa; we did not receive any interest," Mr Tuck said.
He said he consulted the community about their learning interests.
"We asked the community what they wanted to learn."
Mr Tuck said the Government did not realise the reach of adult education classes.
"We still had a long way to go, adult learning had so much potential."
Mr Tuck said it is sad the school building will no longer be used at night by knowledge-hungry adults.
Schools are funded by taxpayers so they might as well use the resource, he said.
"This government gave $35 million to private schools but they refuse to support adult learners and I think it is going to bite them in the bum."
