Blind and Low Vision Study Award

This study award supports Massey University’s Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching: Blind and Low Vision(external link).

For more information about the diploma:

If you have any questions regarding the diploma, please contact Massey University:
Postgraduate Administrator
ioe-postgraduate@massey.ac.nz
06 356 9099 Extn 83072

The study award covers:

• a contribution towards your travel and accommodation to attend block courses
• the full amount for your domestic tuition fees (paid to Massey University)
• an employer contribution to cover teacher release time for up to 50 study leave days per year.

Action	Dates
Applications close	12 September 2023
Applicants and employers notified	25 November 2023

To be eligible for this award, you must:

• Be employed in one of the following roles:
  • a registered teacher with a current practicing certificate at a state or state-integrated school
  • a registered teacher with a current practicing certificate in a registered early childhood
  • Currently teaching blind or low vision ākonga or have lived experience with tamariki with blind and low vision.
  • permanently employed in fulltime or part-time position (or fixed term position which covers the duration of the programme can be considered)
• have a minimum of 3 years teaching experience in schools as a registered teacher have a minimum of 3 years teaching experience in schools as a registered teacher 
• have the approval of and support from your employer 
• hold a relevant professional qualification such as a Bachelor of Education or an equivalent qualification. This means an overseas qualification assessed as being equivalent to a relevant New Zealand qualification by the New Zealand Psychologists Board or the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. If you are unsure about whether you have an equivalent qualification, contact Massey University
• be a New Zealand citizen or have rights to reside and work in New Zealand indefinitely or permanently.

You are not entitled to this award if you:

• are employed in a relieving position
• are not accepted into the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching: Blind and Low Vision
• have already received a study award and failed the course.

If you're employed part-time your study leave days will be based on (pro -rata) your full-time equivalent status.

We will give priority to applicants who:

• are currently working as Resource Teachers: Vision
• have not received a study award or fellowship for which leave with pay was granted within the last 2 years.

BLENNZ kaiako

Your application must include: 

• any other letters of support (not mandatory).

Please include details of your ability to succeed in the course of study and any other circumstances that you feel are important for us to consider.

Non BLENNZ Kaiako

• a cover letter explaining why you are interested in applying for this study award and outlining your experience and motivation to support BLV students (max 500 word limit)
• your resume (please include any experience you’ve had with BLV students)
• a completed Blind and Low vision questionnaire [DOCX, 165 KB]
• a completed
  • employers’ support form for a school teacher [DOCX, 147 KB]
  • employers’ support form for an ECE teacher [DOCX, 147 KB]

 
Our decision to grant or not grant an award is final, and we will not enter into any discussion about it.

If you are granted this study award, you must meet certain conditions. The specific terms and conditions will be listed in your letter of offer. In brief, you must:

• enrol in your courses at university
• understand the offer of study award is valid for 2 years. If you need to defer, you need to advise us immediately by emailing learningsupport.workforce@education.govt.nz
• plan your study and workload for the year (we recommend that you do this with your employer)
• arrange appropriate study leave with your employee
• email learningsupport.workforce@education.govt.nz if your situation changes – this includes your employment status, contact details and any changes to your proposed study.

You will receive our support to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching for two years:

You will receive	How	Not included
Domestic tuition fees	In April, we pay your tuition fees directly to your university. You are responsible for paying non-tuition fees. Please pay directly to the university.	Non-tuition fees such as student levies, building fees, administration fees and any other add-on university charges.
Travel and accommodation contribution	We will pay this directly into your bank account. The exact amount and date will be written in your letter of offer if your application is successful.	Travel costs above the level of the travel and accommodation.
Contribution payment towards study leave. Note: If you work or study less, the payment will be proportional to your employment FTE and/or the number of papers you are studying.	We pay this to your employer. Details will be included in your letter of offer if you are successful. We will also notify your employer a letter detailing how many days you will receive, the contribution amount and date of payment.	Any study leave taken over the amount you have been told you can use in your letter of offer.

Failure, withdrawal, breaks in study and changes to employment

If you...	then...
Decide not to start the course after you have enrolled	Withdraw as soon as possible. You will need to repay the Ministry any tuition fees paid on your behalf. We will invoice for the amount. Your study award expires. You must make a new application the following year if you want to study again. The university stipulates a ‘withdrawal date’, which is the final date that you can withdraw by to be eligible for a refund of tuition fees. Withdrawal dates are notified on your Confirmation of Enrolment letter from the University or can be seen in the full course outline for a specific course on the Massey website.
Withdraw from study part way through the qualification	You will need to pay back all tuition fees that we have paid for your study.
Need to take a break from study due to unforeseen circumstances	Email us. You can ask for a study break of a maximum of one year.
Resign, are made redundant, your position is terminated or you decide to change jobs part way through your study	Email us as we may give you time to continue study while you find appropriate new employment. If you do not find appropriate employment within three months, your study award will stop and you will need to pay back all tuition fees that we have paid for your study. If you change jobs within semesters, we may be able to transfer unused employer contribution for study leave to your new employer. You and your previous employer will need to agree how many days can be invoiced and transferred to your new employer. We will need confirmation of this in writing. If you can’t agree, you will have to forfeit the remaining days in that semester.
Fail a paper	You will need to retake that paper at your own expense.
Want to study one paper a year	You are expected to study two papers per year. In exceptional circumstances, you may be allowed to study one paper. The value of the award will remain consistent with others to ensure equity.

Convictions

Your application must disclose any convictions you have had unless they are covered by the Criminal Records (Clean Slate Act) 2004.

This is required to ensure that you would not be prevented from gaining future employment with the Ministry of Education.

• You must declare all of your convictions if you have:
• been convicted of an offence within the last 7 years; or
• been sentenced to a custodial sentence (eg, imprisonment, corrective training, borstal); or
• been ordered by a court during a criminal case to be detained in a hospital due to your mental condition, instead of being sentenced; or
• been convicted of a ‘special offence’ (eg, sexual offending against children, young people or those mentally impaired); or
• not paid in full any fine reparation or costs ordered by the court in a criminal case; or
• been indefinitely disqualified from driving under section 65 of the Land Transport Act 1998 or earlier equivalent provision.