Students are disappointed with a new proposal from Auckland University of Technology to close its childcare facility.
The university said it was no longer financially viable and argued it wasn’t a "core activity" for students. If the closure goes ahead it will see 16 roles cut and 27 toddlers needing to find a new daycare.
The closure is just one of many jobs and courses being cut at the university as it grapples with declining student numbers.
PhD student and parent Courtenay Basnayake has a toddler who attends the childcare facility and told Ryan Bridge on AM the flexibility the daycare brings is very important.
"It's a hugely practical thing," she said. "And it means that I'm not stressing out about leaving to pick him up and commuting in and out of the city."
In a statement, AUT said it hasn't made a final decision yet, but if it decides to proceed with the closure it will explore a range of options to support parents including possible placements in other centres.
But Basnayake said finding a new daycare for toddlers comes with a hefty wait time of upwards of six months in Auckland.
"Having a two months timeframe to find somewhere between when they tell us the result from their decision up until the potential closure date is obviously not going to be long enough to find an alternative place for our children," she said.
A lot of parents sacrifice a lot to study and Basnayake said AUT could miss out on a pool of students if they close the centre.
She said while she understands the centre comes with a cost the cost doesn't compare to the "value your adding to students and staff".
AUT is currently running a consultation process to ensure the best evidence-based decision is made.
AUT said the centre is currently running at under half capacity and while several initiatives have been undertaken to increase the enrolment numbers, including social media campaigns and opening the centre to members of the public, none of these has resulted in an increase in enrolments.
Watch the full interview above.
