Fee shambles forecast by Treasury

Simon Power - National Tertiary Education Spokesperson

National’s Simon Power is predicting chaos at tertiary institutions next year as they come to grips with a new fee structure that’s been condemned by Treasury .

“It’s now clear our tertiary institutions are to be lumbered with a system that’s complicated, confusing, unjust and simply not workable”

National’s Tertiary Education spokesman has released papers obtained under the Official Information Act showing the Government has ignored the advice of Treasury officials, backing a policy which could end up costing tertiary institutions big money.

“It’s clearly more evidence of a Government that has no idea how to solve the crisis in tertiary education,” says Mr Power.

The papers say that by implementing the fee stabilisation plan, the Government’s consigning tertiary institutions to a framework with no fiscal flexibility.

“We should be letting them get on with the business of teaching and research, not putting barriers in the way by creating more red tape,” says Mr Power.

In return for stabilising fees tertiary education providers will get a 4.5% funding boost, but the papers say no flexibility is being given to those courses facing huge growth or those where costs are likely to increase.

“It’s an ill-conceived policy that needs immediate review, otherwise New Zealand’s young, our future, will pay the price for years to come,” Mr Power says.

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