Funding Shortage Puts the Brakes on Vital Peer-to-Peer Tutor

Funding Shortage Puts the Brakes on Vital Peer-to-Peer Tutoring for Thousands of Students

6,000+ Kiwi teens miss out on ground-breaking July holiday programme

• Campus Link pairs undergraduates with students from all deciles
• All undergrads are former Duxes, Proxime Accessit and premier scholars
• 5:1 classrooms plus step-by-step revision sees grades and pathways pivot
• School partnership programme delivers critical support during school year
• Increase from $10 to $50 per day too steep for many families and schools

More than 6,000 Kiwi secondary students are spending their holidays swotting subjects without the help of our country’s top talent as critical funding is stretched for New Zealand’s acclaimed not-for-profit, dedicated peer-to-peer tutoring programme – Campus Link.

Launched in 2012, Campus Link’s 600-strong tutors are our nation’s best and brightest – all former Duxes, Proxime Accessit and premier scholars – delivering subject-specific, two and three day intensive revision courses for five students at a time, across NCEA, Cambridge and International Baccalaureat pathways.

14,300 students have been through Campus Link holiday courses in Auckland, Northland and the Waikato in the past three years, at a cost of $10 per day thanks to subsidising by partners such as the Lion Foundation who continue their support despite a large number of other partners prioritizing sustainability over education equity.

Created by Anne Gaze, Campus Link was inspired by her own son’s struggle with his grades until peer-to-peer intervention overseas transformed his academic performance. Anne pilots the right of every child to pivot their grades and change their pathway in life and is frustrated that critical funding redressing education inequity is disappearing as a priority for many corporates and Trusts.

“Many funders are leaving the education arena believing government abdicates responsibility when their philanthropic funds support critical initiatives and they are also needing to see initiatives as self-funding. This can only be achieved with those who can afford - once again, education inequity screams loudly. ”

The level of demand for Campus Link holiday programmes is exponential with 7,500+ students and multiple schools registering needs for the July holidays, with thousands more viewing the websites, however only a third have followed through and are now in the programme.

“We can directly correlate this enormous decrease to the increase in cost. $6 per hour which equates to $50 per day is unaffordable to our lower decile students when it is money from the family’s food budget. It’s a heart-breaking realisation that without adequate funding we simply cannot provide the support our lower decile children and schools are so in need of,“ said Anne Gaze.

“Previously, when we have been privileged to have the funding we needed, we would see a 95%+ conversion rate, but now we have sustainability prioritized over demand and only those who can afford are able to secure this pivotal help. Previously schools would fundraise and bus students in from rural areas to access this life-changing opportunity to learn from the best academic talent in this country..”

Sam Gilmour, NCEA and IB superstar scholar (scoring an incredible 43 points in his IB diploma and NCEA scholarship prizes while previously at Saint Kentigern College) is now stuying BSc/BE (Hons) degree at the University of Auckland. As a IB and NCEA tutor for Campus Link in his own holidays, Sam said there is nothing more satisfying than seeing a student wrestle with a concept then begin to grasp it, apply it, and eventually master it.

"Not that long ago, I was in exactly the same position as the students I now teach. There is considerable pressure to perform well and give yourself the best opportunity for further education. For an 18 year old, this is perhaps the first time you recognise that your future is entirely in your hands and that can be a daunting experience.

“Almost universally, each student arrives with the ability to achieve highly - even if it is not being recognised at the time. When I teach a class, I notice an incredible shift in the students' self-confidence. They begin the 3-day course by asking questions tentatively, or arriving at answers without fully understanding the process used to arrive there. By the end of the course, the students have been transformed - “

The school partnership scheme also has these top achievers back in classrooms supporting schools, teachers, students throughout the school year.

ENDS

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