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Tertiary Education Union - Te Hautu Kahurangi o Aotearoa

30 May 2009

Minister's Comments Reveal Economic Vandalism

Minister of Education Anne Tolley has shown not just a lack of empathy but a failure to understand economics according to TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs.

Yesterday (Friday), after Tairawhiti polytechnic revealed it had lost about $2 million of its $16 million annual funding the minister told the Gisborne Herald that regional polytechnics need to be able to stand on their own two feet.

She is quoted as saying rural polytechnics needed to be turned into "credible, viable institutions".

"I absolutely believe in the role of regional polytechnics but they have got to be able to stand on their own two feet." said Mrs Tolley.

Sharn Riggs says that attitude is economically illiterate. To say that polytechnics can stand on their own two feet and become credible viable institutions denies the fact that their viability is entirely her responsibility not theirs. Polytechnics can't raise student fees or take in more students to get more funding – The minister won't let them enrol more students – and they don't have a base of wealthy alumni. They can only attain economic viability from government funding. If the minister vandalises that funding it is unbelievable that she should then say it is up to polytechnics to sort it out themselves.

"$2 million is a huge amount of money for a polytechnic in a regional community like Gisborne to lose. We are simply going to see a return to the days where people in regional communities are going to have much less access to high quality tertiary education."

“This is shortsighted and disastrous for the sector. Our members will see this as a clear sign that the minister and this government actually couldn't care less about regional New Zealand,” says Ms Riggs.

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