Tertiary education plans are a recipe for disaster

Wednesday, 10 March 2010, 10:04 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Tertiary education plans are a recipe for disaster

Plans to part fund tertiary education institutions according to pass rates will be a disaster for students from low decile schools or students seeking a second chance at education, says Labour’s Tertiary Education spokesperson, Maryan Street.

“I have heard already that a school in my area of Nelson has received a letter from Canterbury University saying that they are turning away hundreds of students this year so the school shouldn’t send them any school leavers next year who aren’t guaranteed to be successful,” she said.

“How much worse is this going to get when universities’ funding will be in part dependent upon pass rates? Maori and Pacifica students are going to be disadvantaged because institutions will look at statistics, not individuals, and choose low risk students, rather than those who need a bit more support to succeed in a system which has not always catered well for them in the past.

“Steven Joyce’s plans for funding institutions will have the effect of disadvantaging those already disadvantaged, and of narrowing the skills base of New Zealanders in the future. Only those like him will be able to get into tertiary education. Is that actually` what the National-Act government wants?” said Maryan Street.

ENDS

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