AUS is pro the public sector, not anti-PTEs

Speaking in Christchurch today, Neville Blampied, National President of the Association of University Staff (AUS), said "AUS has been vigorous in its pursuit of a fairer outcome for universities in this year's Budget, but has not been attacking Private Training Establishments (PTEs) per se.

“We regard it as unjust that PTEs get a government contribution to their capital of exactly the same amount as public tertiary institutions do.

We have not sought to have funding for the tuition PTEs provide reduced", Neville Blampied said, "but have asked that the capital component, which is approximately 12% of EFTS funding be redistributed to the public sector. The amount at stake is around $20m for 2002."

Neville Blampied also noted that the Associate Minister (Tertiary), Hon Steve Maharey, is on record as saying (December 1999) that he would review the system through which PTEs received the same tuition subsidies as public tertiary institutions and "put something else in place in 2001".

"Given that the Government acknowledges that funding for the public sector is seriously inadequate, AUS believes that the least the Government should do for 2002 is to redistribute this capital funding back to the public sector, which is the Government's primary responsibility." Neville Blampied said.

"The public tertiary sector is where the vast majority of tertiary students are educated. It is simply perverse that the government should allow the quality of the education available in the public tertiary sector to decline steeply, while cosseting the private sector."

Contact number for Neville Blampied: 021 680 475

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