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Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced $1 million of funding for new scholarship awards for Year 13 Christchurch students whose plans for tertiary study may have been affected by the recent earthquakes.

The Canterbury Earthquake Scholarships will provide $2,000 each year for three years of study for 160 students.

“This additional financial support will help students take on tertiary study after what has been a traumatic time,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that the movement of students away from Christchurch and within the city since the February earthquake will result in a redistribution of resources for schools.

3500 students from Christchurch remain enrolled in schools outside the city, while over 1500  students have  moved to different schools within Christchurch.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has welcomed the return of Shirley Boys’ High School to its original site in Christchurch, after 26  weeks of site-sharing following the February earthquake.

From tomorrow, 1300 Shirley Boys’ High students will be able to return to their home site, which suffered significant damage and liquefaction.

The Government has invested $2 million in repairing the site, making five damaged blocks safe and bringing in eight relocatable classrooms to replace the administration block and library which remain unusable.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced that Christchurch is to have a new Trades Academy, and that student places are to more than treble at the existing Academy in the city.

Following applications from across New Zealand, the National Trade Academy in Christchurch has been selected as one of ten new providers to support secondary school students at risk of disengaging from education. Students will develop practical skills for the workplace, while gaining credits towards NCEA and a tertiary qualification.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has confirmed that Avonside Girls’ High School and Shirley Boys’ High School in Christchurch will temporarily return to their home sites for up to two years.

“I have to emphasise that this is a temporary measure, and that the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has only agreed to the sites being used for up to two years,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Their return also depends on there being no more adverse events that might affect the safety or viability of these sites.”

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Education Minister Anne Tolley have announced that full pre-earthquake operational funding for Christchurch schools is to be extended until the end of the year.

“This will provide certainty and stability for schools in Christchurch until the end of 2011,” says Gerry Brownlee.

“It means schools in Christchurch will continue to receive full funding for the number of pupils they had before February’s earthquake.”

Education Minister Anne Tolley says new study centres are providing extra support for Christchurch students whose schools are still affected by the February earthquake.

The centres provide a supervised place for students to study, and are aimed at students at colleges which have been temporarily relocated to another site or are co-located with another school because of earthquake damage.

“This is something that students and their parents will welcome,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that 97 per cent of Christchurch schools are set to have re-opened by the middle of this week.

151 schools will be open tomorrow, with that figure due to rise to 157 by Wednesday.

“Schools are doing a magnificent job in making sure students can return to learning, either at their own school site or sharing a site with another school,” says Mrs Tolley.

“I’m also pleased to say that for the first time since the earthquake, the number of Christchurch students enrolled around the country has started to fall.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says 143 Christchurch schools, 88 per cent of the total number, will have re-opened by the end of this week.

It is also expected that 234 early childhood education services, or 69 per cent, will be open.

“Schools and ECE services have worked incredibly hard to re-open,” says Mrs Tolley.

“This is great news for Christchurch parents, students and young children who want some kind of certainty and normality.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that 80 schools in Christchurch have now re-opened for students, with that number set to rise to at least 110 by the start of next week.

“This has been a marvellous effort by everyone involved,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Principals, teachers, parents and the Ministry have worked incredibly hard to re-open schools and get students back into education, and this fantastic progress is continuing at other schools.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says an Order of Council has been passed which allows the Minister and Secretary for Education to act quickly to get Christchurch students back into education as soon as possible.

“We need to restore education for students affected by the earthquake as soon as we can, but existing legislation is not flexible enough to allow this,” says Mrs Tolley.

“This Order removes any potential roadblocks which could delay schools from opening on their own site, a new site or sharing facilities with another school.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced that more than 100 Christchurch schools have now set dates for re-opening, including 21 which are already open again for students.

88 early childhood education centres have now re-opened, with 135 expected to open their doors by the end of the week.

“I want to thank everyone involved for their determination in getting schools and ECE centres up and running as soon as possible for students and young children,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that schools in Christchurch City will begin re-opening from tomorrow.

31 schools have indicated they will be open for students from Monday or over the next few days.

A further 55 schools have also been confirmed as structurally sound and can open for staff immediately, with opening dates for students expected soon.

“I want to thank principals, teachers and parents for all the hard work they are putting into getting their schools open as soon as possible,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that alternative plans are in place for over 1700 students from two of the Christchurch schools severely damaged in last week’s earthquake, with planning well underway for all of the city’s school students.

“We want to get students back in school and provide certainty for families as soon as we possibly can,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says over a quarter of schools in Christchurch City have now asked for support to re-open as soon as possible, following last week's earthquake.

“43 schools, more than double yesterday’s total, are determined to open for students as soon as they can, which is extremely encouraging,” says Mrs Tolley.

“These schools will receive all the support they need to provide a safe environment for students, so we can get young people back into learning.”

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced that 19 schools in Christchurch City have indicated they want to re-open later this week or early next week, following the recent earthquake.

“It’s extremely heartening that these schools feel confident enough to re-open,” says Mrs Tolley.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has praised Canterbury teachers and principals for their resilience and positive attitude following the recent earthquake.

"I met with the principals, teachers and board chairs of some of the worst affected schools while in Christchurch today," says Mrs Tolley.

"I was heartened by their determination to get students back into school, or some form of learning, as soon as circumstances allow.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says schools and ECE services in Christchurch City remain closed until further notice, as the extent of damage to school property becomes clearer following the devastating earthquake.

“The Ministry has now identified 18 state schools with major damage as a result of the earthquake,” says Mrs Tolley.

“This is in addition to eleven state-integrated schools and five independent schools which have reported significant damage.

“So far, 100 schools have been assessed as having minor level damage.

Education Minister Anne Tolley says while Christchurch City schools and early childhood education centres remain closed until further notice, some schools in Selwyn and Waimakariri may be able to open after the weekend, following the devastating earthquake.

There are 215 schools across Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn with around 76,000 students, and 415 ECE services.

“We are doing all we can to support schools and ECE centres at this difficult time,” says Mrs Tolley.