16 February 2015
Media release
Tertiary Education Union

Don't sell costly degrees, fix low incomes

Remove money from the equation - education should be about learning not earning says TEU national president Sandra Grey.

Grey says the release of Universities NZ's study on graduate earnings tells us what we already know; that some jobs earn far more than others do.

"Medicine might be the highest paying profession in New Zealand but that is the wrong reason for anyone to become a doctor. We want our future doctors to be passionate about helping people in need, not helping empty people's wallets."

Grey says tertiary education contributes to New Zealand's democracy, stability, social wellbeing and health outcomes.

"Yet, constantly we tell students to value it only for its individual economic outcomes."

Universities New Zealand's study shows that several level 4 and 5 courses leave graduates worse off financially over their life than if they had not studied at all.

Grey says that is not a reflection on the quality of those courses. Rather it shows the damning effect of user pays education when it clashes with extremely low paid jobs such as teacher aiding.

"The solution is not for everyone to avoid studying to become a teacher aide, but for us to lower the cost of study and raise wages for people who do such important jobs in our communities," says Grey.

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