PPP schools will cost kids, the community and taxpayer

PPP schools will cost kids, the community and taxpayer – NZEI

The long term cost of using private companies to build and manage state schools will fall on children, communities and the taxpayer, NZEI Te Riu Roa says.

The Government today announced four new schools – including two in Christchurch - would be built under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) deals.

NZEI Te Riu Roa National Secretary Paul Goulter says children’s education is too important to be left to the risks of property speculation by companies driven primarily by profit.

“Overseas, PPP schools have resulted in restricting access or charging community groups and services to use what is a public asset. And they are likely to cost the taxpayer more in the long run, because of the higher cost of raising finance for private companies, profit-taking by the companies involved, companies falling over, or failures in construction and maintenance falling back on the public purse.”

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