By Daniel Henderson  September 29, 2011

A young Ashburton woman is organising a protest for Saturday and has a petition circulating to save the Life Skills course she is taking at Ashburton’s branch of Aoraki Polytechnic.

The polytechnic is planning to discontinue some courses to fit the Government’s tertiary education policy, but 19-year-old Samantha Quinton wants to protect the course she is doing for future students.
“My argument is, if you get rid of the course; how are young people like myself, who were not taught properly at school, supposed to get work without a good basic education.”
Ms Quinton values what the Life Skills course has given her.
“I had teachers at school who talked to me like I was a baby. In polytech they let me learn on my own and I’m getting up to speed on what I missed out on.
“Before I did Life Skills, I did not know how to do a CV or a job interview. The Life Skills tutors teach you all that, those basic skills you need in everyday life, and they have bent over backwards to help.”
Education is vital to Ms Quinton’s plans.
“My goal is to go to uni and be a lawyer, but you can not get there without an education.”
Ms Quinton does not want others to miss out.
“Other students may fall through the cracks and not know what options there are to help better themselves.”
The Government’s tertiary education strategy wants all universities and polytechnics to operate courses that are level six and higher. Life Skills is level two.
Chief executive of Aoraki Polytechnic, Kay Nelson, last week announced that the polytechnic proposed to discontinue some media, sport and fitness, life skills and lower level computing programs.
Ms Quinton, who has cerebral palsy, wants courses like this to stay in Ashburton.
“Because of involuntary movements, driving is not an option. I’m going to be assessed to see if I can, but I doubt it very much.”
Ms Quinton asks people to join her at Cafe Central at 10am on Saturday to help protest and to sign the petition.