Bradford's Education Supermarket A Flawed Vision

"Mr Bradford may envisage people selecting their variety of qualification via a supermarket but unfortunately tertiary education is no where near that cheap." Said President of the Otago University Students' Association (OUSA), Steve Day in response to a speech Mr Bradford made today.

Tertiary Education Minister Max Bradford outlined a seriously flawed vision for the future of Tertiary Education this morning at the 23rd annual conference of Tertiary Education Management His vision involved students heading overseas and business influencing previously independent research.

"While the children of Bradford's friends in industry my be able to afford to fill their tertiary trolleys with gourmet delicacies from around the world, many people seeking tertiary education are standing in the ten-items-or-less isle with only a can of baked beans. More than likely they will be served by a check out assistant who is working while studying because they can't access a basic living allowance while studying."

"The reason students are going overseas is not, as Mr Bradford claims, cheaper transport, it is more expensive domestic fees. Our degrees now rival those in the United States for price but offer none of the scholarship support and long term belief in research." Claimed Steve Day.

Mr Bradford argues that New Zealand needs to be more business focused in its tertiary education delivery. In last month's "Bright Future" package the Government indicated its desire to move more students into the areas of science and technology. "The Government very clearly wishes to make Universities nothing more than research mills for the country's business interests.

"To fawn over the credibility of foreign tertiary institutes as Mr Bradford did today only exemplifies how much we have undermined our own institutes' credibility through under-funding." Stated OUSA Campaign Coordinator and President-Elect, Andrew Campbell.

ENDS

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