Government Robbing One Tertiary Sector To Pay Another

"The additional $35 million which the government has made available to universities is simply a shift of funding from private training institutions," said New Zealand First education spokesperson, Hon Brian Donnelly MP.

"It is no coincidence that the government announced a freeze on PTE funding a week before making a new offer to the universities. At the delivery of the budget, Steve Maharey was defending the rapidly increasing funding of PTE's by saying he was waiting for the proposed Tertiary Education Commission to sort out the issues."

Following presentation of a strong case for additional funding by universities, the government has back-tracked on its budget position.

"This smacks of a Minister who has been so absorbed by the Christine Rankin affair his mind was not on his education portfolio leading up to the budget," said Mr Donnelly.

"Someone does, however, need to explain this all to National's education spokesperson, Gerry Brownlee, who thinks the $35 million is new money."

ENDS

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