Government stood by and watched Learning Media fail

4 September 2013

Government stood by and watched Learning Media fail

The Public Service Association says the government could have stepped in and saved Learning Media but instead has stood by and watched it fail.

It has been announced that Learning Media is being wound down because the company is no longer financially viable.

“It’s no secret that Learning Media has been struggling in a difficult publishing environment, but government moves to impose a market-driven competitive model on it were always a mistake,” says PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott.

“It tilted the focus away from producing quality educational material, including the iconic School Journal, towards a business strategy of trying to win and compete for contracts. It’s something our members have been raising concerns about for some time.”

Earlier this year the Finance Minister Bill English indicated the government would be prepared to let SOEs which are not financially viable, go under.

The PSA firmly believes the government could have moved to ensure the future of Learning Media by placing it back into the Ministry of Education.

“Learning Media is a small, lean organisation which could have sat well back within the Ministry. It would have meant the continuation of the valuable work it does, staff would be retained and skills and expertise would not be lost,” says Brenda Pilott.

“It’s frustrating that the government has chosen to stand back and watch Learning Media fail.”

"Staff at Learning Media are highly-skilled experts in the field of education publishing and make an incredible contribution to New Zealand schools. They are understandably stunned by today’s announcement and very anxious about their future.”

The PSA has been advised that Learning Media is in a position to honour its contractual obligations on redundancy but it will be seeking more details about the next stage in the process.

ENDS

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