By Linda Melrose, Kaiwhakahaere, Tauira Tauiwi, Adult Learning Director Onehunga High School
For more than 45 years Onehunga High School has been actively engaged in providing high quality adult learning programmes to our community. Since 2009 we have developed a programme of courses that target TEC identified priority learners and those in greatest
need of opportunity and access to further learning, as mandated by the government. Our courses have focused on literacy and numeracy but we have also built a significant programme around improving social cohesion.

As our funding is finite we have found it a challenge to offer classes beyond the boundaries of our local community. However we have developed strong community networks and relationships with a large number of other organisations including industry and education in a much larger region beyond our local one.

The communities of Otara, East Tamaki, Wiri and Papakura have been poorly served since the reduction of school funded ACE in 2009. These communities strongly identify as the most socially and culturally diverse and socially and economically dependent in South Auckland. Statistics show these communities have high unemployment, low income, low literacy and numeracy levels, identify as heavily Māori and Pasifika and have large numbers in the community who were previously unsuccessful at school.

We have been asked to support learning opportunities in Otara, East Tamaki and Wiri over recent years in the form of Driver Licence, Te Reo and English. With the announcement last year by Hon Chris Hipkins, Minister of Education, that there would be an investment over the next four years of an additional $16 million, the collective rejoicing could be heard far and wide.

We decided shortly after the announcement that we would apply for funding for a couple of new schools to come on board. An application was done on behalf of Rosehill College in Papakura, with Papakura High School included to spread the funding across the region of Papakura; an area that was poorly served. We also put in an application to expand our own funding at Onehunga High School to include Tangaroa College in Otara, a decile one school which was keen to re-establish adult learning programmes.

With the expansion of government priorities to include employability, ‘taster’ classes and courses that focus on and support mental health and wellbeing, we were confident we could successfully initiate and support classes in Wiri, East Tamaki, Otara and Papakura.

On the week of Monday 17 May we opened the doors at Rosehill College in Papakura and Tangaroa College in Otara to night classes. Classes had run from both school sites prior to the school community education cuts of 2009. However without the financial support to continue the programmes, both schools had closed night school programmes, leaving both communities with limited opportunity to access community education classes.

We already had robust relationships with some community organisations, schools and industry through our current networks. However we would need to strengthen and broaden these as a first step in targeting adult learners and their needs. We requested funding in order to further this process and to ensure our success in the programmes we wanted to deliver.

We ran over 21-night classes in the first week from the two school sites in Otara and Papakura with over 250 enrolments. School programmes make use of existing infrastructure and facilities and are able to be cost effective immediately. With the support of both communities we have been able to encourage adult learners back into a place of education to improve their employment skills, to upskill, to gain confidence in making informed choices about outcomes they are seeking, to celebrate their culture, to learn and succeed, when they may never have had educational success in the past.

As our funding was not confirmed in November or December of 2020 as expected, we had not planned on any expansion being successful. However in March of this year the TEC notified us that we would be receiving funding for both of these new programmes across
new schools in Auckland. It has certainly been a challenge to consult, plan and develop these in a short space of time. With the support of principals, boards and the community we have surprised even ourselves in the huge uptake and upsurge in learners wanting to participate.

The extra funding will improve the lives and futures of our adult community and we look forward to hearing about other new schools, as data is released about where the extra funding has gone, and which communities have gained access to lifelong learning opportunities; where previously it was either lost or lacking.

Congratulations to this government for their foresight and commitment to adult and community education and the spillover benefits of a small investment for a significant advantage.