PTEs Should Campaign Against the Government

Friday 14 Jun 2002 Dr Muriel Newman Press Releases -- Tertiary Education

ACT's Tertiary Education Spokesman, Dr Muriel Newman, after meeting with private tertiary education providers in Manukau today, is calling on all the private providers to join the campaign to change the government at the election.

"The Labour Government is on an ideological mission to squeeze private education providers from the tertiary education sector," Dr Newman said.

"They have already introduced a moratorium on new courses and are now capping funding at last year's levels. At the same time, state institutions have been encouraged to expand their courses to compete head on.

"The proposed politically controlled central planning agency, the Tertiary Education Commission, will be instructed to pick state providers over private, and by attrition, the government hopes to drive the private sector out of the education business.

"Even those private training providers who provide English language courses for international students but receive no state funding, are being hit by a hefty new state levy that the government is proposing to implement.

"However, the government has now given the private training sector a window of opportunity, by calling a snap election. If there is a change in government, the Tertiary Education Reform Bill will never see the light of day. That will enable the sector to once again innovate, flourish and grow.

"I am calling on private training providers up and down the country to join in the campaign to defeat the Labour Party, sending them the message that their policies are unacceptable - draconian and damaging to students and providers alike, as well as to the country as a whole. In particular those students who have been most effected by the government's punishing of private educators are disadvantaged Maori and Pacific Island students, the very people Labour purports to represent," Dr Newman said.

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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