Complaint about eligibility of Early Childhood Education graduates

Background

The New Zealand Tertiary College (‘the Tertiary College’) is a private training establishment based in Auckland which is approved and accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (‘NZQA’) to deliver a range of early childhood education qualifications.

In August 2012, the Tertiary College learnt that the New Zealand Teachers Council was not progressing the registration of the Tertiary College’s graduates from the Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) programme, on the basis that the Tertiary College’s graduates had not demonstrated sufficient English language proficiency. On 18 July 2013, counsel for the Tertiary College, Chen Palmer, complained to the Ombudsman.