Otago Polytechnic fee increase disappointing

new-zealand-university-student-s-association

Fri Aug 11 2006 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Otago Polytechnic fee increase disappointing

Friday, 11 August 2006, 4:54 pm
Press Release: New Zealand University Student's Association

“Otago Polytechnic is the first of the public tertiary institutions to set its domestic fees this year and it is extremely disappointing that they have chosen to raise student fees, some by up to 5%,” said Conor Roberts, Co-president of the New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA).

“Last year students at Otago Polytechnic borrowed over $8.5 million simply to pay for fees, students are frustrated that it will be even higher next year.”

“Students should not be forced to pick up the slack because of Government underfunding of our public tertiary education system. Dr Cullen is currently undertaking a review of how tertiary education is funded in New Zealand, but is omitting to look at the actual levels of funding for our institutions.”

“Low levels of public funding lead to high fees.”

“If we want high quality tertiary education in this country then the Government must take responsibility to properly fund it, current funding levels are outrageously low.”

“High fees act as a barrier to tertiary education for many people and high debt has a host of negative outcomes for students and the wider society.”

“As we go into the fee setting season, students are calling on tertiary institutions to not raise fees and send a message to the Government that they cannot get away with simply passing the buck onto students,” Mr Roberts concluded.

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 New Zealand University Student's Association on InfoPages.