5 June 2013 at 9:00 am
Code Administrator transfer to take place in August
The functions of the Administrator of the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students will be transferred from the Ministry of Education to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) on 1 August 2013.
On that date NZQA officially becomes the Code Administrator.
Until 1 August, Code signatories should continue to contact the Code Office at the Ministry of Education for Code related matters. The NZQA will announce future arrangements for Code signatories, ahead of the transfer.
The Ministry of Education received 44 submissions on the proposal to transfer functions, including 37 from signatory providers (20 schools, 12 private training establishments, 1 ITP, and four universities), plus seven submissions from sector bodies.
The majority of submissions supported the proposal, but some questions were raised around potential costs, NZQA’s jurisdiction and ongoing support that would be available to providers, especially schools.
Potential costs associated with the transfer will be covered by the Ministry of Education and NZQA - there will be no cost to the Export Education Levy.
The transfer will improve alignment between Code quality assurance and other wider quality assurance processes which NZQA has responsibility for in the non-university tertiary sector. Combining this work in one agency will improve efficiency and avoid duplication.
As the Code Administrator, NZQA will develop relationships with the Education Review Office, and further its existing relationships with schools. Current arrangements with the Education Review Office and Universities New Zealand on Code-related quality assurance will remain the same, unless changes are discussed and agreed collectively by all parties.
The Ministry of Education and NZQA are working closely to ensure that all Code signatories are well supported and all functions are carried out as usual during the transition period.
Current arrangements through which students lodge complaints with the International Education Appeal Authority (IEAA) with decisions reached by the IEAA and Review Panel will continue for the time being.
A formal notice on this change was published in the New Zealand Gazette on 30 May 2013.
More information can be found at the Ministry of Education’s website here
