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NZVCC Report Highlights University Underfunding
NZVCC Report Highlights University Underfunding
A report released today by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors Committee (NZVCC) highlights the fact the New Zealand’s Universities are underfunded and the Government needs to urgently increase levels of funding to public institutions.
“The report shows that New Zealand’s Universities are underfunded when we compare them to Universities overseas,” said Conor Roberts Co-president of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA).
“New Zealand’s public investment per full time student is only $5480, whilst Australian Universities receive $6990 and United Kingdom Universities receive $7410.”
“If the Government wants tertiary education to be the driver of social and economic progress, then it needs to properly fund our institutions.”
The report also shows that the 0.9% of GDP which our Government provides to tertiary education institutions is behind the OECD average of 1.1% and countries such as Canada who spend 1.6%.
“We disagree with the Vice-chancellors that the solution to this problem to ‘rebalance’ the ‘investment’ in tertiary institutions.”
“The report notes that there has been a substantial rise in Government support for institutions in the ITP sector, however we believe that fixing the underfunding in Universities should not require cutting funding to the ITP sector.”
“Low levels of public funding is resulting in high and increasing fees, low quality courses, high student to staff ratios and underpaid staff across the whole tertiary sector.”
“We call upon the Government to immediately increase its contribution to public tertiary education in order to fund the high quality tertiary education system that New Zealand needs,” Mr Roberts concluded.
ENDS
The full report is available at: http://www.nzvcc.ac.nz/files/geninfo/Investment-Approach-NZ-Universities.pdf
NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations
We stand for opportunity, for all.
NZUSA is the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations, the national body that represents New Zealand's students' associations and the interests of New Zealand's 400,000 students at universities, polytechnics and in trades training.
We conduct original research, advocate to Government and through the media, and support New Zealand's students' associations to be more effective on behalf of their members. We advocate alongside Te Mana Akonga – The National Māori Students' Association, and Tertiary Women New Zealand – The NZUSA Women's Caucus.
Since 1929, we've believed in a society rich in opportunity, where anyone from anywhere can become any thing. We support accessible, affordable quality public tertiary education.
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