Waiariki students relieved course likely to continue

By ABIGAIL CASPARI in Rotorua
Social work students at Waiariki Institute of Technology are relieved they will be able to continue studying this year.

Following months of investigation and stress for the 90 students sitting the Bachelor of Applied Social Sciences, ITP Quality has signed off the degree for another year subject to several conditions.

One of last year's third year students, who did not want to be named, said about 70 of the students were told at a meeting on Monday night that the degree would go ahead this year.

"I was quite relieved to know that we are going to graduate ... If they [ITP Quality] hadn't given accreditation there was a possibility that we would not be able to."

One of the conditions stipulated by ITP Quality was that all new staff had to have appropriate qualifications and experience.

The student said she was glad the quality of teaching was under review because that had been a problem last year.

As far as she was aware a lot of the staff from last year had left.

Although she was happy the accreditation of the course was going to be reviewed at the end of this year, it would mean this year's second year students would still be under a "cloud of uncertainty" about whether they would be able to finish their degree next year.

She believed one of the reasons the situation had reached this stage was because of a breakdown in communication.

It was her opinion that middle management, who she would not name, was at fault.

The student faces further problems because although she has finished the degree she is not able to get registration from the Social Work Registration Board.

She majored in adventure therapy, which is not recognised as part of the recently set criteria for registration.

Others sitting the degree at Waiariki majored in Kura Kaupapa Maori which was also not accepted for registration.

Another meeting was planned for last night to inform students where the degree was heading this year and answer any of their questions.

ITP Quality director Peter Scanlan told The Daily Post yesterday that last year was not the first time there were problems with the degree.

In 2003 a monitor sent by NZQA had written a report outlining concerns about the high staff turnover, low student numbers and the need for a review.

The institute had reviewed the degree but changes made were not approved by ITP Quality which, along with student complaints, led to its investigation last year.

Accreditation for the degree is to be reviewed in October and Mr Scanlan said provided the institute had "fully responded" to the conditions set by ITP Quality he was confident the degree would continue in 2006.

Waiariki's chief executive Reynold Macpherson said the programme leader left the institute last week but details of her departure were being kept confidential.



An interim programme leader has been appointed. Dr Macpherson would not comment further on staffing issues, saying these were confidential.

Issues over registration still needed to be resolved which could take some time, Dr Macpherson said.

The conditions set by ITP Quality were reasonable and sensible, he said.