Posted on 3 March 2020
For the second year running Open Polytechnic, one of the largest educators of New Zealand’s current workforce, will not be increasing tuition costs for its fee-paying students.
The nation’s specialist provider of online and distance education, Open Polytechnic is committed to keeping high quality tertiary education affordable for its 30,000 students.
“Holding our fees is part of our commitment to reducing financial barriers for learners so that they can get the skills they need to progress in their jobs and careers,” says Council Chair Murray Bain.
“New Zealand needs a skilled, productive workforce that can adapt to new roles and challenges. Access to affordable, quality tertiary education forms a big part of that picture, and Open Polytechnic has a 70–year history of adapting itself to meet the needs of our students and partners.”
Mr Bain says the low rate of inflation is also a factor in Open Polytechnic’s decision. “The CPI has continued to remain below 0.5 per cent in 2016, which has helped us manage our costs and pass those benefits on to our students.”
Open Polytechnic Chief Executive, Dr Caroline Seelig, says that aside from keeping fees as low as possible for students, the organisation has been focusing on continually improving its world-class flexible learning delivery to ensure students can benefit from the latest advances in technology.
“Thousands of Open Polytechnic students are now using our iQualify online learning platform which can be accessed from any computer or mobile device, giving students an anytime, anywhere learning experience.”
Launched in 2015, iQualify is also being sold to other organisations as a commercial product along with content and learning design services. “Revenue earned from these commercial relationships also helps us to hold costs for our students,” says Dr Seelig.