Don’t amputate polytechnics from their communities

Media Release
21 August 2009

Don’t amputate polytechnics from their communities

TEU national president, Dr Tom Ryan, says that parliament should vote against the minister of education’s bill to reduce the representation on polytechnic councils down to just eight, most of whom will be ministerial appointees, including the council chair.

Dr Ryan said “I’m extremely concerned that community representatives will be excluded from polytechnic councils, as well as the workers that we represent and also local iwi and business representatives.”

“It’s absurd that the government seems to want to overturn a governance system just because it argues that there have been problems with a handful of councils. Most councils have worked tremendously well and polytechnics want stronger links to groups in their community rather than having those links severed. If anything we should be commending a style of governance that allows communities be involved in their local polytechnics.”

“I think it is worth asking whether we would have the levels of unsustainable private debt and economic vulnerability if more of our businesses’ boards had worker representatives, customer representatives, iwi and community representatives on them, like polytechnics do.”

“There’s no doubt that, on the whole, polytechnic councils are delivering very good value for money given the funding they receive. Generally they are also working closely with their stakeholders and local community in innovative and exciting ways to give students real learning opportunities. They are working hard to drive our much needed recovery,” said Dr Ryan.

ENDS

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