23 November 2006

Bill Will Not Allow For Opening Of Tertiary Floodgates

New Zealand First education spokesperson Brian Donnelly says that his University of Technology Bill will not open the floodgates to allow every technical institute in the country to aspire to become one.

“The purpose of the Bill is to create a class of tertiary institution which will enable those technical institutes with strong graduate and post-graduate programmes to have parity of esteem for their quality degrees without having to become a fully-fledged university,” said Mr Donnelly.

“At present the only course available to those institutions is to become a university and to achieve that status they need to reduce their proportion of sub degree programmes. That is contrary to the nation’s need to strengthen its trade and vocational education.

“I believe levers exist which will prevent a gold rush by polytechnics and technical institutes. Applicant institutions will still have to clear high hurdles in order to achieve ‘university of technology’ status,” said Mr Donnelly.

ENDS

© Scoop Media