Business as usual for Telford team
Fierce loyalty to Telford and a strong will to better handle its course administration in the future is the end result of a Tertiary Education Commission investigation into Lincoln University Telford Division at Balclutha. Lincoln and Telford staff are ta
The cows are being milked, the shed scrubbed down, and the sheep fed and yarded: Despite a turbulent few days, it’s business as usual for students and staff at Lincoln University Telford campus near Balclutha.
The Tertiary Education Commission ruled that Telford had not delivered the required learning hours in accordance with its funding agreement for three of its certificate courses in farming, horticulture and arboriculture and a foundation certificate in the latter.
Telford senior tutor and Clutha District councillor Ken Payne, who was re-elected back onto the Balclutha ward recently, made no bones about it.
‘‘It’s been devastating for all the staff. We believe in what we do and we’re going to step up to the mark.’’
Lincoln University fell short in an independent audit by Deloitte, which according to the Tertiary Education Commission report, monitors ‘‘student success and the sound stewardship of public money’’.
However, despite minor discrepancies between teaching hours and actual hours taught, there was no evidence to suggest Telford had not met the assessment requirements, and there was no question about the validity of the students’ qualifications.
The commission had been reimbursed $1.5m for the ‘‘shortfall of instructional inputs’’ for Telford programmes delivered in the 2010-2015 period.
But this did not make the situation any less painful, Payne said.
‘‘It’s been hard to front up to the community, that there’s been an audit, and we’ve got the books wrong, but we’re doing our best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.’’
In the meantime, it was ‘‘students first’’, as Telford recovers from what has been a stressful time while the investigation took place.
It had been a regrettable episode in the university’s history, Lincoln University’s Telford Division interim director Joan Grace said.
‘‘The TEC funds the tertiary sector on input hours in three categories, teaching hours, work experience and self-directed hours. Lincoln’s focus has been on the outcome of the training, the qualifications the students attain. The quality of these qualifications is not in question.
‘‘The administrative monitoring of the hours is where we were lacking. Processes have now been put in place so we have better evidence of these hours.’’
The investigation found that Telford had not been providing the necessary ‘‘administrative oversight’’ required to account for the hours spent by different types of students. In other words, it was not that they hadn’t done the hours but that the hours hadn’t been properly accounted for.
‘‘The quality of the programmes are not in question. The Government and the industry needs and values these skills. The situation doesn’t change that. It’s business as usual for us.’’
Telford’s future was unrelated to the investigation, she said.
The situation also highlighted how much the community cared about Telford and its students, and the importance of having the facility supported in the community, she said.
But in future, students will be fillingin more detailed work data, and administrators ticking all the boxes to meet funding criteria.
She stressed that none of the programmes being investigated were delivered on campus.
The issue was with three offsite delivery partners, who had not been named in the commission’s report, and part-time students; it was part of an ongoing discussion, to have more checks and balances in the system.
‘‘When any programme is designed there is discussion about how the graduate outcomes will be met, what the students need to do for success.
‘‘This includes a range of activities. When I talked [yesterday] with staff we talked about this process, the sort of interaction between professionals about how ‘long things take’.
‘‘This discussion needs to consider a range of learners. For example, someone who has grown up on a farm and is familiar with farm bikes will obviously have competencies that someone who is coming into farming from scratch doesn’t.’’
Once finalised this learning time information was translated into the commission’s funding system, she said.
Telford Farm Board chairman Murray Pilgrim said the board had no issue with Lincoln University as a training provider.
‘‘It’s not the training or the institute, it’s just how it’s being done offsite, and who’s leading it.’’
He said there definitely needed to be more day to day accountability.
He believed the issue had not damaged Telford’s reputation, and that the agricultural community remained loyal to the institution.
‘‘People are passionate about Telford. It’s business as usual for us, making sure that the students get good training and that there is good administration in place.’’
Telford partners with about 100 farmers in South Otago who offer work experience.
Hamish Erwood, of Waitahuna West, situated between Lawrence and Milton is one of the farmers.
‘‘It’s always good to teach them new skills, to make them responsible and to let them do things for themselves.
‘‘It’s a great opportunity for them to get experience, especially if they haven’t come off a farm.’’