Former polytechnic CEO wants an apology from Hipkins

The Herald reports:

Former Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker has called for an apology from Education Minister Chris Hipkins for turning the country’s polytechnic education system into “a national disgrace”.

It comes in the wake of last week’s apology from Te Pūkenga’s acting chief executive over its beleaguered financial situation and its delays in transitioning the country’s polytechnics into a single entity.

The Government said a combined $50 million deficit was unacceptable, so they merged them all into one centralised entity and the deficit has blown out to $100 million!

“Those hundreds of millions have just gone into structural stuff.

“Not a single dollar has been put into improving outcomes for learners, not a single dollar to strengthening the regional providers, and so the issues that we had before Hipkins started this misguided venture, are not only still there, they’re worse.”

Sounds like the health reforms!

The initial goal was to build a system that delivered more education to more people — particularly Māori, Pasifika and people with disabilities — and to do it better.

“I would challenge you to find a single, solitary, additional initiative in the last two years that has delivered more or better. It just hasn’t happened.

“I think it’s a national disgrace.”

He said colleagues still working in the system felt Te Pūkenga was trying to drive a compliance model, obsessed with rules, standardisation and people obeying the rules.

Command and control!