When you meet Linda Melrose and listen to her passionate advocacy for adult and community education, it’s not hard to see why she won a national award last year for her outstanding service and contribution to the sector.
Linda, who started off as a part-time teacher at Onehunga High School 23 years ago, is now its director of adult and community education. She was awarded the ACE Aoteoroa member of the year Tangata Tiriti in June 2017.
Onehunga High School has the largest government-funded Adult and Community Education programme in the country, offering over 100 classes in a huge variety of subjects. Linda says that although many classes are held at the school, they also run a lot of classes off-site. “We work with lots and lots of local groups like primary schools, community centres, clubs and societies.”
The most satisfying thing for her is , “Education does change people’s lives. You are learning in an environment that’s safe, informal, and you can achieve big things in a small amount of time.”
“What we find in our community classes is that people want to come back and upskill. If they learn a skill such as upholstery, they can then run a small business from home.”
Linda is hoping that under the new Government, adult and community learning will receive more funding. “We don’t have any idea what that might involve, but we would expect schools to be community hubs. We’ve got the resources, facilities, and we’re well set up and well-placed to be able to deliver programmes across regions,” she explains.
Not thinking of retiring any time soon, Linda says, “I actually love my work. it’s so satisfying. It’s great to still be involved in education in some respects, That’s where my heart lies.”
