Mean Mallard Makes School Beg

act-new-zealand

Tue May 18 2004 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Mean Mallard Makes School Beg

Tuesday, 18 May 2004, 2:13 pm
Press Release: ACT New Zealand

Tuesday 18 May 2004

Deborah Coddington - Press Releases

ACT New Zealand Education Spokesman Deborah Coddington today accused Education Minister Trevor Mallard of making a pauper out of a decile two Auckland school by forcing it to beg for extra funding to pay for routine building repairs and maintenance costs.

"Fruitvale School wrote to the Minister claiming that its operational funding was `ludicrously inadequate'. Rotting fences, quagmire footpaths, cracked concrete and dilapidated structures were cited as needing upgrades.

"The school's concerns appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Mr Mallard is ignoring the problem in the hope that it will go away - but it won't. Labour's financial mismanagement of schools has been highlighted by a recent report showing that over 1,000 schools ran operating deficits in 2002.

"The way forward is to break the State monopoly and fund the students, not the schools. Until that happens, the gap between the `haves' and `have-nots' will continue to grow, and schools like Fruitvale will have to wait and wait," Miss Coddington said.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from ACT New Zealand on InfoPages.