Update on Canterbury tertiary education

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce has today met with managers of some Canterbury tertiary education providers affected by Saturday’s earthquake.

“It’s clear that the impacts of Saturday’s quake and the subsequent after shocks have had a significant impact on tertiary providers in the Canterbury region. But, fortunately, there appears to be minimal permanent damage.

“Tertiary providers have been quick to act – getting to work assessing damage to ensure that buildings are deemed to be safe before students are allowed back on site.

“The needs of students are a priority for all providers, and staff from the Tertiary Education Commission and Ministry of Education are working closely with Canterbury providers to get campuses open as soon as they’re comfortable that they’re safe so that students can resume their studies.

“Many of the providers in the region have large numbers of international students, and I’d like to assure those students and their families that they are safe, everything possible is being done to keep them safe, and to get them back to their studies as soon as is practical.”

“I have been impressed by the emergency management response of the tertiary providers in the region. Their management and staff are doing a great recovery job, and their disaster recovery policies have worked well. Their focus is clearly on not only cleaning up the mess, but planning the rest of the academic year so that the time out from this event does not adversely affect students.

“From what I have seen, the key focus is on tidying up the large volumes of debris resulting from the quake, and unfortunately this takes time and patience,” says Mr Joyce.

At this stage, Canterbury University will be open to staff on Monday 13 September and to students on Wednesday 15 September, with teaching restarting on Monday 20. All going well, CPIT and Lincoln will reopen to staff and students on Monday the 13th of September. Te Wananga o Aotearoa's Manchester Street campus remains closed until further notice and classes will resume from the Moorhouse Avenue campus on Monday the 13th of September.

ENDS

© Scoop Media