OECD gives Govt fail marks over students, staff
green-party
Wed Jan 31 2007 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
OECD gives Govt fail marks over students, staff
Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 12:22 am
Press Release: Green Party
31 January 2007
OECD gives Government fail marks over students, staff
The OECD review of tertiary education in New Zealand should be a loud wake-up call to Government about the cost burdens now facing our tertiary students and the workloads being piled onto tertiary staff, Green Party Education Spokesperson Metiria Turei says
"This authoritative international report clearly shows that New Zealand tertiary students get a raw deal. They are caught between student allowances that are increasingly difficult to access, and high fees and living costs that are driving them to take on major student loan burdens likely to dog them for most of their working lives," Mrs Turei says.
"Some of the recent changes to the loan scheme have been welcome, yet real relief for students hinges on more of them being able to access student allowances. As recently as 1990, more than 85 percent of fulltime students received a living allowance. Now less than a third do. As a direct consequence, the extent of student loans in New Zealand is running at 407 percent above the OECD average.
"Clearly, the age at which means testing ceases must be reduced from the current 25 years of age. As the OECD says, this is too high. It is ridiculous to expect adults to remain dependent on their parents until they are 25. This age can be reduced affordably in increments, and it must start this year.
"Reducing the age eligibility threshold for allowances is a crucial next step if we don't want to avoid saddling our most qualified and creative people with massive debts at the outset of their productive working lives.
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"The OECD report also recommends real changes in how tertiary education is delivered to students. The Green Party share the OECD's concerns that different modes of course delivery are increasing the workload on staff, with Government paying little attention to how these extra workloads should be rewarded or managed.
"Investment in tertiary students and staff is an investment in our future. The Government seems either blissfully unaware - or cynically unconcerned - that the current situation is intolerable. The OECD have shone a spotlight on our problems in tertiary education, and it is now up the Government to respond," Mrs Turei says.
ENDS
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