Government funding cuts mean students will no longer be able to take university preparation courses at Victoria University.
The government has decided that it will no longer fund university preparation courses at universities but will continue to fund such courses at polytechnics and other training organisations. This means that Victoria University’s Certificate in University Preparation (CUP) will now be without funding.
Due to these cuts, Victoria management are proposing to cut the CUP altogether.
This means that students wishing to undertake university preparation courses in Wellington will have to attend Weltec, Whitirea, or a private training institute.
VUWSA is opposed to the closure and believes that students will be disadvantaged if they cannot complete these courses at university. They believe that an important part of these university preparation courses is being able to orient students at university and the services it offers, such as the library and support services.
Current CUP students are also opposed to the proposal.
“I took CUP in the first trimester of last year and it was the best decision I ever made. The skills they teach you in that course are so valuable to university as a whole,” said one student.
“Bridging courses into university mean that a diverse range of people can access university education. Moving these courses to polytechs removes this “bridging” function. Instead it creates another barrier to accessing uni if you are not being immersed in the campus lifestyle,” said another.
Despite facing the same funding problems, other universities have decided not to cut their preparation courses. The University of Auckland has chosen to fund their programme through its equity fund. The preparation programme at Waikato University is being run by Weltec but will be taught on the Waikato campus to allow new students to orient themselves with the campus.
VUWSA believes that Victoria should look into similar alternatives to avoid ending the programme.
The proposal to close the CUP is currently open for consultation before the final decision is made.