Proclaimers support Free Education at Concert

Proclaimers support Free Education at St Patricks Day Concert

18 March 2002, for immediate release
Attn: Education Reporters

Student leaders are today crowing following Proclaimers singer, Craig Reid, speaking poignantly of his support for a free education system at a St Patricks Day concert in Dunedin last night. Craig, a father of four, said he would send his children to Irish universities because they charged no fees. The Proclaimers then devoted the anti-poverty song ‘Cap in Hand’ to a “better funded education system in Scotland and New Zealand”.

“Even the Proclaimers, who have only been in the country a few days can see that tertiary education in New Zealand is under funded” said Otago University Students Association Campaign Coordinator Kyle Matthews. “If they can see it within a week, then the government should have started to fix it by now after two and a half years.”

Twins Charlie and Craig Reid, and other members of the band also wore green ribbons during their performance. The ribbons were the focus of a St Patricks Day campaign where people would wear them to indicate support of a properly funded tertiary education system. The campaign was so successful in the pubs and streets of Dunedin that organizers had to put in an eleventh hour call for more ribbons to distribute at the Proclaimers concert.

“Yesterday was about going out to the public of Dunedin and showing them that under funding of tertiary education isn’t the answer, that there are better ways to get our country going. Ireland had growth of 11.5% in 2000, and it has a free education scheme. New Zealand needs to look at a similar investment” said Mr Matthews.

Contact Kyle Matthews 03-4795338 021-1130236

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