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Education
Bankrupt Tertiary Strategy "Over a century of State education, and all we can produce are grasping moral bankrupts,"
said Peter Osborne, the Libertarianz Associate Spokesman for Education Deregulation today. He was responding to numerous
comments made in response to the Government's new Tertiary Education Strategy, including:
- The Association of University Staff (AUS) welcomed the Strategy, but noted that "a huge boost in funding" will be
needed for the strategy to succeed.
- The New Zealand University Students’ Association (NZUSA) regarded it as "disappointing;" they are unhappy with the
focus of the strategy leaning more towards the needs of business than to other functions of tertiary education. The
needs of the students are paramount, they say.
Mr. Osborne says, "neither these two institutions nor the government have mentioned a word about the moral implications
of this strategy. No-one has spared a thought for those who will bankroll this scheme by the use of force: the
taxpayers."
"The Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Mr. Maharey, who launched the strategy, has no problem using money
gained by extortion to buy votes using schemes such as this," notes Osborne. "Dr Grant Duncan, the National President of
AUS is quite happy to accept this bribe to fund his baby, and wants as much as he can get. Finally, Andrew Campbell, the
Co-President of NZUSA, wants an education tailor-made to his liking - but he wants someone else to pay for it."
Mr. Osborne says, "these people are supposed to be scholars who like to portray themselves as the moral pioneers of
society, and they fail abysmally on both counts."
"I can’t really blame them," says Mr. Osborne, "as they are the perfect products of a state-enforced education system.
An education system that, when dictated to by politicians, will only ever be a tool to produce compliant little citizens
of intellectual blandness and moral emptiness."
Mr. Osborne concludes, "a Libertarianz Government will separate the State from education, leaving educational strategy
to the private provider, who, in turn, will respond to the demands of its clients, the pupils. The Mr. Campbells of this
world will be free to seek education tailor-made to their needs, but no-one but the recipient will be forced to pay for
it. The Dr. Duncans of this world will be free to seek additional funding over and above fee-paying students, but that
funding will be given voluntarily and not by the State. The Mr. Mahareys of this world will be free to fund any
educational strategy they like, but the funding will have to come out of their own pockets."
It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!
ENDS
For more information contact: Peter Osborne LIBERTARIANZ ASSOC. SPOKESMAN TO DEREGULATE EDUCATION Phone: 0274 326 005,
e-mail: ospar@xtra.co.nz
www.libertarianz.org.nz www.libz.org