Reprieve for eight-student school
Community efforts to rally around its school have paid off with Education Minister Chris Hipkins reversing his decision to close a small Martinborough school.
Tuturumuri School – which has just eight pupils – was considered for closure after it had no pupils in the last term of 2017. Locals were so desperate to keep their tiny school open, the community offered parents $1000 to enrol each child as ‘‘a means of encouragement’’.
But yesterday Hipkins confirmed the school would remain open in 2019.
The minister acknowledged schools like Tuturumuri could provide an important community hub in rural communities. ‘‘We have to take that into account when balancing any decisions to close with a school’s viability and future prospects.
‘‘Throughout this consultation process, we heard from members of the community about how important the school is to them, and we’ve listened.
‘‘It was clear to me that closing the school would impact travel distances, times and costs for students, and that more remote students would need to travel to school on largely narrow, winding, unsealed rural roads,’’ the minister explained.
A steering committee of local residents was formed in late 2017 to help rebuild the school’s roll. The campaign to keep the school gates open was also supported by Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Steering group member Paul Cutfield said it was reassuring that ‘‘common sense has been given half a chance to swim to the top. It’s a fair and logical decision’’.
The Ministry of Education will provide Hipkins with an update on the school in late 2019. It will include advice from an upcoming Education Review Office review.