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The Association of Māori Providers of Training Education and Employment (AMPTEE) has devised a new strategic plan that gives the organisation a clearer focus. The new plan also formalises the organisation’s relationship with the Qualifications Authority.
In the past two or so months, AMPTEE has been gearing itself to step up to the new challenges afforded by the tertiary education reforms. We have also been discussing the opportunities for Māori within a “knowledge economy.”
AMPTEE has taken hold of the idea that our task is help Māori “prepare to achieve.” This mean that tauira Māori need to undertake the necessary studies and required disciplines to participate and win in the global knowledge economy.
However, AMPTEE fears the academic capture of the tertiary sector reforms. We hold the view that universities are advocating a false split between vocational and academic learning paths.
Māori providers see life in a holistic way. Life is integrated. Learners require pastoral care just as they need assistance to transfer their learning to a career or enterprise.
Māori assets tend to be land based and our fear is that land based activity is seen as being other than “knowledge economy.” The fact of the matter is that some of New Zealand’s most exciting examples of the application of knowledge are in land based industries rather than in the rarefied atmosphere of a university.
Some leading academics have tried to downplay the fact that Māori providers have managed to engage Māori tertiary education learners at a 2:1 ratio as compared to mainstream institutions. Māori providers have learned to work within the NZQA framework in such a way as to still maintain empathy with learners whilst achieving the required learning and teaching standards.
We congratulate NZQA for providing a framework that allows Māori PTEs the scope and flexibility to prepare learners for the “knowledge economy.”
Marei Apatu/AMPTEE CHAIRMAN
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