Te Rito Maioha graduate teachers are highly valued by employers; student achievement is consistently high; learning programmes are strong; and the organisation makes a valued contribution to the early childhood education sector.
These are key findings of an external evaluation and review by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) which has awarded Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand the highest status as a tertiary education provider.
Te Rito Maioha specialises in providing bicultural early childhood and primary teacher training, professional development opportunities, and advocacy for the early childhood education sector.
Chief executive Kathy Wolfe said the top rating from NZQA means both students and the sector can have total confidence in the quality of teacher education and Te Rito Maioha’s wider contribution to the sector.
“NZQA’s report reflects our total commitment to quality bicultural education for both tamariki and tauira, our strong focus on supporting all our learners, and our continual advancement of our programmes, research, technology, staff capability, and biculturalism,” Kathy Wolfe says.
“As a training provider, our commitment is to graduate confident and competent teachers with a strong understanding of their profession, biculturalism, the ECE and Primary curriculums, and the skills to embrace te ao Māori me ōna tikanga, Tagata Pasifika and the cultural identities of all tamariki they teach.
“We have grown and expanded to meet demand for quality teachers in early childhood education, and we’re continually advancing the professionalism, capability, best practice and advocacy for our sector.”
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Key points from the NZQA report include:
- Student achievement is consistently high. Students learn on the job in a supported environment with real-time monitoring of their achievement.
- Graduate outcomes are strong, reflecting the value of the programmes in meeting the needs of stakeholders in the early childhood sector.
- Students gain employment as teachers, become registered and some progress to management roles following their studies. This outcome is highly valued by students and employers.
- Real-world and relevant learning, supported by effective online and in-person support, contributes to learner engagement and success at Te Rito Maioha
- Programme design and delivery that matches the needs of students and stakeholders is a strength.
- Comprehensive academic and pastoral support ensures students are involved and achieve success.
- Te Rito Maioha is authentically committed to biculturalism in its practices and structure. In addition, Te Rito Maioha is strengthening its response to Pasifika communities, staff and learners.
- Te Rito Maioha also makes a valued wider contribution, including the:
- professionalism of the sector through postgraduate programmes and ongoing professional development programmes for members.
- sustainability and growth of the sector with programmes that enable students to study and work in their local centres
- capability-building in centres by encouraging new practices and learning that are shared between students, centre staff, tamariki and whānau
- advancement of biculturalism
- creation, development and advancement of theory and practice through a range of research initiatives
- advocacy and involvement in national forums.
Read NZQA's full External Evaluation and Review Report on Te Rito Maioha.