Select Committee Report More Bad News For Teachers

Media Release Tuesday 30th October 2001

Christchurch College of Education Students¹ Association

Select committee report more bad news for teachers

The Christchurch College of Education Students¹ Association (CCESA) is greeting with anger the report of the Education and Science Select Committee Inquiry into Fees, Loans, Allowances and the Resourcing of Tertiary Education as it has failed to provide any concrete solutions to the student debt problem.

The report released today contains only one recommendation; that further work be undertaken to ascertain the effects of student loan debt.

"Teachers are an important national resource. Burdening teachers with large debts is the worst way of encouraging more people to enter the profession and stay in it," said CCESA President Christin Watson.

"Research released earlier this year by the New Zealand University Students¹ Association shows that 66% of teacher graduates have considered leaving New Zealand as a result of high student loan debt and poor pay here. This select committee inquiry offered teachers some hope but this inconsequential recommendation has eroded that," said Watson.

"The answers are simple. The government needs to provide student teachers a universal living allowance, they need to invest into tertiary institutions to bring fees down and teaching graduates need to be paid wages comparable with other countries to keep our graduates here," said Watson.

"Its time to face up to the fact that we have a student debt and workforce crisis. We require solutions to that crisis from political parties not further investigation. If that doesn¹t happen there will inevitably be more teachers leaving," said Watson.

³Christchurch College of Education students made over three hundred and seventy submissions to the inquiry. Their voices against the student loan scheme have been ignored,² said Watson.

ENDS

For further information please contact CCESA President Christin Watson Wk: 03 343 7780 extn 8128 Cell: 021 353 610

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