Maurice Williamson National Tertiary Education Spokesperson

Tuesday 31 July 2001

TEAC - What happened on the way to the printer?

Something must have happened on the way to the printer. This can't be it, National's Tertiary Education spokesperson Maurice Williamson said today of the third TEAC report 'Shaping the Strategy'.

"At a time when a very good report has been released by the Royal Commission on Genetic Engineering an appallingly bad report has been released by the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission on the strategy for our tertiary education system.

"Steve Maharey must have gutted the report because I find it very hard to believe that any academic would put their name to it.

"To publish a document that talks of a 'vision for a vision', 'characteristics of the vision for the vision' and of 'a desirability for a desire' is an insult to any trained academic mind.

"The report for all its pretentiousness, lacks academic rigour. It is an insipid document that will evoke embarrassment and scorn among New Zealanders.

"When the first TEAC report was released in July last year it was full of platitudes and generalities and most people had no idea what it meant. We've now got the third report, and its worse!

"The report reads more like an ecumenical statement put out by churches than a blueprint for how tertiary education can really advance the knowledge base and economic growth of New Zealand.

"At the very time when the Government should be adding some substance to the tertiary sector for the Knowledge Wave conference, they've released a blueprint to nowhere," Mr Williamson said.

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