Despite the spin our universities slide

new-zealand-labour-party

Thu Oct 01 2015 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Despite the spin our universities slide

Thursday, 1 October 2015, 4:06 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

David Cunliffe
Tertiary Education spokesperson

1 October 2015

Despite the spin our universities slide

A dramatic slip in rankings for three New Zealand universities in The Times Higher Education report released today is a legacy of the Government’s underfunding of tertiary education, Labour’s Tertiary Education spokesperson David Cunliffe says.

“Three of our oldest universities have gone backwards in these rankings, with Victoria University dropping by at least 50 places and the University of Canterbury and University of Waikato both dropping more than a hundred places.

“Universities NZ Executive Director Chris Whelan still called out the government today, saying that ‘this decline won’t be arrested without further government investment’.

“Steven Joyce claimed he was spending a further $113 million for tertiary education in Budget 2015. He spent just $7 million that turned out to be little more than a vanishing act based on reallocations and savings.

“With a Minister at the helm who clearly has no regard for quality research, it’s no wonder that a doctrine of mergers and cuts has become the new normal for the tertiary education sector.

"It’s unacceptable that the government sits on its hands as our public institutions slowly decline. Trumpeting inflated international student figures is no solution, “ David Cunliffe says.

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.