Government risks destroying student good will

Government risks destroying student good will with Fee Maxima decision

The Aotearoa Tertiary Students' Association (ATSA) believes that any attempt by tertiary education institutions [TEIs] to use the fee maxima regime as a cash cow to milk more tuition fees from students will create a massive backlash against the government.

ATSA has supported the principle of fee maxima on the basis of the promise from this government that they were committed to reducing the cost of education to students. "The regime announced in today's budget has the potential to pull some fees down, but it also allows for far too many fee increase opportunities," ATSA President Julie Pettett stated today. "This first move to relax the 'fee freeze' regime has the very real potential to blow out tuition fees right across the board."

ATSA puts the government on notice that they can expect massive disruption throughout the sector if institutions use the fee maxima regime to push all fees to the maximum. "For nearly five years, students and their families have been hearing soothing and calming words from the government about their promise to reduce the cost of tertiary education to students," Pettett stated. "If the fee maxima regime fails to deliver real reductions in fees to a substantial number of students, there will be hell to pay."

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