Joyce's budget assault on regional polytechnics

Since Steven Joyce became tertiary education minister in 2010 the government has made severe funding cuts to regional polytechnics. His government has cut funding to ten regional polytechnics by an average of 19 percent according to Tertiary Education Commission data.

"Massive funding cuts to regional polytechnics are cutting opportunities for local staff, students and communities," says Lesley Francey, TEU national president.

"Steven Joyce needs to invest in our regions, not just the cities."

The government has cut funding for regional polytechnics by a total of $60 million since 2010. It has also cut funding to the seven urban polytechnics by a smaller amount of $400,000. In both instances these cuts are exacerbated because inflation of 8.7 percent over the period mean the cuts are much worse. Among those hardest hit, UCOL, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and Aoraki Polytechnic have suffered government-funding cuts of between 25 and 56 percent in the last four years.

Meanwhile the government increased funding for privately owned tertiary education companies (PTE) $23 million, or 7.2 percent in the last two years alone (2012-2014).

For more information, see the spreadsheet outlining government funding to polytechnics 2010-2014 at http://bit.ly/regionalpolys

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