Association of University Staff

Media Release

Attn Education Reporter 27 April 2007

Victoria University Jumping Gun on New Funding System

The Association of University Staff (AUS) is concerned that Victoria University is acting precipitously in assuming that the new tertiary funding system will cause them disadvantage and by embarking on wide scale reviews at the University before all the detail is known.

AUS National President Professor Haworth said that AUS supported the new funding regime which provides more funding certainty than the current competitive “bums on seats” model. He said the current model has failed the sector and he welcomed the fact that universities will no longer be dependent on student numbers alone to determine funding. “The new funding model including the three year funding cycle will help universities avoid the abrupt review exercises that Victoria proposed today,” he said.

“Our members have suffered greatly from the unfettered growth model driven by the ‘bums on seats’ funding regime and its debilitating race for more students. There has been no national consideration of what might be needed from the university sector,” he said. “When student numbers go up, class sizes get bigger and when student numbers go down, endless restructuring and job loss occurs,” he said. “The new model removes the competition for students and, with its emphasis on quality provision in a more stable environment, will be better for New Zealand and will provide more security for staff”.

He called on universities to work together to develop a single plan for a single university system in which each university plays to its strengths and supports each other’s programmes. “What we have seen from Victoria today is more of the same,” he said. “The Vice-Chancellor does not know what the new funding level will be for the University next year and has made an assumption that no growth will be funded. Our assumption is that growth in areas of strength and importance to Victoria will be funded, and growth simply intended to increase revenue will not. Our members care about a system that is stable and sustainable, and based on quality provision,” Professor Haworth said.

Professor Haworth said he believed the new system was much more likely to enable sound new investment in the sector from the Government. “This is what the sector needs and is the substance of the successful tripartite model in the sector, involving the tertiary union, Vice-Chancellors and Government.

Ends

© Scoop Media