Alliance says National's underfunding of state schools is creating school fee mess

Alliance Party media release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday 30 June 2009

The Alliance says it is wrong that underfunded state schools are taking on debt collectors to retrieve “donations”.

Alliance education spokesperson Richard Mitchell says underfunding of schools is having a negative impact on the education of the children.

He says that Minister of Education Anne Tolley should not seek to blame schools for their inability to function on the inadequate resources they are given.

“The Minister claims to be appalled at the situation, so why does she not do something about the cause and not the symptoms of the problem – and the cause is underfunding.”

Mr Mitchell says school fees might be affordable for families in prosperous areas, but in many communities where low pay, surging living costs and food banks are a reality, the extra burden of "voluntary" school fees is simply out of the question.

“If New Zealand is to have a free education system, funded by the community, then the Government must be prepared to invest the necessary funds. Last year we said that funding under a National Government would be worse and we were right. If National is not prepared to take the steps needed to make education free, as stipulated by law, then they should get out of the way and let us get on with the job!” he says.

Mr Mitchell says the progressive taxation system proposed by the Alliance, and its spending priorities, would be aimed at a completely free education system funded by the community, with maximum class sizes of 20.

ENDS

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