Government blows the budget for students

green-party

Sun May 18 2003 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Government blows the budget for students

Sunday, 18 May 2003, 10:11 pm
Press Release: Green Party

Green MP Nandor Tanczos today warned that many undergraduates would end up paying hundreds of dollars extra in fees as a result of the fees maxima regime announced in the Budget - while postgrad students could pay even more.

"The Government has yet again sold out on its election promises," said Nandor, the Green Tertiary Education spokesperson. "This Government's huge budget surplus has been paid for, at least partly, by student borrowing.

"How on earth can they expect students to contribute to their so-called 'knowledge economy' when they are pricing education beyond the reach of New Zealanders?

"We are very concerned that universities will meet funding shortages by increasing postgraduate fees, which are not capped. Postgrad students are already borrowing on average $6,510 for each year of study.

"New Zealand has comparatively low numbers of postgraduate students and comparatively high fees for postgraduates - it doesn't take a degree in maths to make the connection."

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