Silly TEU

NewstalkZB reports:

The tertiary education union is criticising plans for a Destiny Church ‘university’ – saying it makes a mockery of public education responsibilities.

The Church plans to build its own village in South Auckland which would include schools and a university.

TEU President Dr Sandra Grey says public universities all provide accredited evidence based high quality public education.

She claims in all likelihood Bishop Brian Tamaki’s university will do none of those things.

Calling it a plan, is giving Bishop Tamaki too much credit. All we have is a press release. He probably has no idea what an institution needs to do to become a university. The Education Act in s162(4)(a) specifies they must do all of the following:

(i) they are primarily concerned with more advanced learning, the principal aim being to develop intellectual independence:

(ii) their research and teaching are closely interdependent and most of their teaching is done by people who are active in advancing knowledge:

(iii) they meet international standards of research and teaching:

(iv) they are a repository of knowledge and expertise:

So up until now, I’m agreeing with the TEU that a Destiny university won’t qualify. But then a swipe at the Govt for some reason:

Dr Grey says the combination of this proposal and the Government’s Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement threatens to open the floodgates for dozens of foreign privately-owned, extremist ‘sham’ universities.

Oh please. A “combination” of this proposal and the proposed TPPA? That is clutching for straws. Is Destiny foreign-owned? Is anything in TPPA going to change the law and criteria for any bid by Destiny?

TPPA could well have something about not discriminating against foreign universities who wish to set up here, but that does not mean the provisions in the Education Act would not apply to then.

Don’t get me wrong. I have reservations around TPPA – especially the intellectual property chapter being pushed by the US. But debate on TPPA should not just be scare-mongering, linking it to Destiny Church.