Petition to reinstate adult education funding
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jun 10 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Petition to reinstate adult education funding
Wednesday, 10 June 2009, 9:51 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Labour launches petition to reinstate adult education funding
Labour is this week launching a nationwide petition calling on the Government to reverse its savage Budget cuts to Adult and Community Education services.
The cuts kick in from January 1, 2010 and will result in a drop in funding to the sector of $152 million over four years –$19.4 million from January 1, 2010 to June 2010, $40.4 million in 2010-2011, $44.7 million in 2011-2012, and $48.4 million in 2012-2013.
“This is an incredibly short-sighted decision that has left many communities shell shocked,” Labour Tertiary Education Spokesperson Maryan Street said.
“More than 400,000 Kiwis enrol every year* on courses including literacy, numeracy, foreign languages and computer training. And giving people the chance to upskill is particularly vital during a recession.
"Community based education employs thousands of full and part time tutors and has an estimated economic benefit of between $4.8 billion and $6.3 billion annually*.
“It is deeply ironic that Bill English chose to take the axe to the sector in his first Budget, after years in opposition of talking up the virtues of adult education. National needs to immediately reassess its priorities and reinstate this vitally important funding.”
Maryan Street said Education Minister Anne Tolley’s unfortunate remarks labelling the sector as ‘hobby and recreational courses like twilight golf, radio singalong, pet homeopathy, Moroccan cooking and concrete mosaics’ are hugely insulting.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
“This vital government funding supports community groups to run courses for adults and young people seeking to improve their skills and get back into formal education and to improve their employability.
“Labour’s petition calls on National to: Reverse all expenditure cuts in Budget 2009 that affect Adult and Community Education services for the 2009/10 financial year, with a reinstatement of these funds taking effect from 1 January 2010,” Ms Street said.
Labour MPs will be circulating the petition in their local areas from this week.
* PricewaterhouseCoopersreport in 2008 commissioned by ACE Aotearoa.
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 Labour Party on InfoPages.