Call on MPs to provide solutions to underfunding

“Students call on MPs to provide solutions to university underfunding”
Monday, 29 June 2009, 4:09 pm
Press Release: “Students concerned about quality and accessibility of degrees, call MPs to provide solutions to university underfunding”
Release by: Lincoln University Students’ Association,
Wednesday, July 1st 2009
“Act has disappointingly confused Students associations with the universities they are associated with” Lincoln University Students’ Association President points out. In a press article on Wednesday (1/7/2009) citing students’ discontent with a hiked student services levy at the University of Canterbury, ACT Deputy Leader Heather Roy tried to drum up support for an ACT private members bill calling for voluntary students associations.

“The hike in the UC student services levy has nothing to do with whether the UCSA is compulsory or voluntary. The levy has come about because of the current governments underfunding of universities. This underfunding has been bought about by cuts in the recent budget that ACT and the current government are responsible for” said Miss Harte.

“In this current environment, with the recent cuts to tertiary education, the entire tertiary system is being put under stress. Excellence of qualifications is at risk as teaching resources are stretched and high value academics look overseas for better remuneration” says Miss Harte. “Accessibility is at risk as institutions look to restrict entry in an attempt to make up underfunding”

“In this environment, students are at risk of being burdened with additional cost and no real hike in value or quality of their education. Surely Mrs Roy should focus on these quality and accessibility issues rather than the membership of students associations’ that make up a very small percentage of the cost of tertiary study” says Miss Harte.

Students and Students Associations' that represent them are calling for MP’s, including Mrs Roy, to find solutions to provide adequately resourced, accessible and affordable tertiary institutions, rather than bringing up their same old rhetoric on students’ associations’, that has failed to gain traction in the past.

ENDS

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