No amount of Joyce’s spin can hide the facts

new-zealand-labour-party

Sun Nov 24 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

No amount of Joyce’s spin can hide the facts

Sunday, 24 November 2013, 1:10 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Grant ROBERTSON

Tertiary Education Spokesperson

24 November 2013

MEDIA STATEMENT

No amount of Joyce’s spin can hide the facts

New figures show there are fewer tertiary students and far higher levels of debt, despite the glossy spin put on the facts by Steven Joyce.

"The Tertiary Education Minister has turned himself in knots to find the positive spin on this data, but the reality is that his destructive cuts to student support and underfunding of tertiary education are having an impact, and the worst is yet to come.

"There has been a decline in enrolments of more than 3,000 students overall. There are falling enrolments in bachelors degrees at most universities, diploma and certificate courses from Level 4 to Level 7 and postgraduate diplomas and certificates. Entry level enrolments may also be affected, but are hidden by a change in reporting.

"It appears polytechnics, mainly in the regions, are particularly affected. They have experienced significant cuts to their funding since National came to office.

"The cuts to student allowances, particularly for postgraduate students, have seen significant declines in enrolments in postgraduate certificate programmes at the same time as a massive increase in the levels of borrowing from the loan scheme for those who remain. There has been a 78 per cent increase in borrowing by masters students and 52 per cent increase in borrowing by postgraduate diploma students.

"Steven Joyce is claiming that static enrolments at masters levels show his policies are not having a destructive impact, but he knows the full impact of the changes will not be evident until 2014 because of transitional arrangements in place for some students for the 2013 year.

"His own officials have told him this in their report, but Mr Joyce is so out of touch with the reality of student experience he thinks there is something to celebrate in these statistics.

"Labour believes postgraduate study and training is vital to improving our innovation and productivity, and desperately needs investment. It’s time Steven Joyce started to see education as an investment rather than just a cost to cut," Grant Robertson says.

ENDS

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