Students support calls for Government intervention

Students support calls for Government intervention into Tertiary Sector

Students today backed union calls to end the staff sackings that are sweeping through the tertiary education sector.

Currently 11 "reviews" are taking place at Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education and hundreds of staff jobs are on the line.

The Government has so far refused to act on calls for action until the findings of the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission (TEAC) are released.

"While students support the establishment of TEAC, we believe that the Government must act now for the sake of the staff and students of today," said David Penney, National President of the Aotearoa Post-compulsory Student Union (APSU).

"If they wait for the findings of TEAC to be released, there may not be anything left for the commission to actually report on."

"Increasing staff-student ratios and the stress put on staff by the endless 'reviews' can only be bad for the quality of teaching and research in the tertiary sector."

"We are calling on the Labour/Alliance Government to issue an immediate moratorium on such reviews and use the coming budget to urgently address the funding crisis in tertiary education," concluded David Penney

ENDS

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