Tertiary funding squeeze hits Polytechnics

new-zealand-labour-party

Tue Aug 31 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Tertiary funding squeeze hits Polytechnics

Tuesday, 31 August 2010, 11:40 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Tertiary funding squeeze hits Polytechnics

Hard on the heels of Universities restricting enrolments for 2011, some Polytechnics are now being forced to restrict entry and slash budgets as the government's cuts to tertiary funding take effect, Grant Robertson, Labour Tertiary Education Spokesperson said.

“The Government is systematically shutting down educational opportunities for New Zealanders. First it was cuts to adult and community education courses, now Universities are being forced to restrict entry and Polytechnics are turning students away as they are forced to deal with $70 million of cuts over the next three years.

“It is crazy, at a time of high unemployment and limited entry to university and adult education that the government would not support people into training and upskilling at a Polytechnic." Grant Robertson said.

“Otago Polytechnic announced late last week that in 2011 they will be limiting entry to degree and diploma courses. This means some students in the Otago region look set to miss out on tertiary education.

“Just today the Southern Institute of Technology announced it is losing a further $1 million in funding on top of $3.2 million it had already expected to be cut. These kinds of cuts will be devastating to the skill base of the regions, and to the long term health of regional economies.

“What is worse is that the Chief Executive of SIT has said the latest cut was ‘something of a surprise’. The government is failing to communicate properly with the Polytechnic sector at a time when they should be actively working with them to ensure that those who want to be are in training or education gain entry, especially if they are not in work.

" Now is the time for Steven Joyce as Minister to recognise that the country's recovery from recession is not ‘aggressive’ as John Key said it would be, and that additional investment is required so that we can develop a more skilled and productive workforce for the future," Grant Robertson said.

ENDS

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