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Archive for the 'Education' Category

Restoring the Refugee Study Grant

October 15th, 2011

In Labour’s tertiary education policy announced by David Shearer earlier this week was a small, but very important commitment from Labour. If elected to government we will restore the Refugee Study Grant. This grant was canned by the National Government in the 2009 Budget with effect from this year. When I was Tertiary Education Spokesperson for a while I met several people who had greatly benefited from the grant, and I am so pleased that we have committed to restoring it.

What the grant has provided is support for refugees mainly for bridging courses or other courses to meet pre-requisites. While as permanent residents refugees can access student loans, many need support to get to the level to be able to undertake tertiary study. Not having the support can mean that opportunities are missed and refugees dont get the kick start that can allow them to achieve their potential.

Mohammed Amri is one example. He was one of the Tampa boat boys. A bright guy, but with little experience of English or learning in a New Zealand environment, who took language, reading and writing skill courses that got him his start on the way to a degree. Another example is a young woman I met, who’s story is included in the publication by Changemakers Refugee Forum as part of their campaign to see refugees recognised as an equity group. She was 19 and still at school here trying to catch up with her peers. She did well, but was not ready to do tertiary study. She was losing motivation for school, doing long hours working at a supermarket, acting as an interpreter for her family, and wanted to get on with her life. She accessed the refugee study grant, got the support to lift her literacy skills, understand the pecularities of New Zealand langauge, and gain entry to a degree at Victoria University. She’s doing really well.

All of this came from a fund that used about $1.3 million a year. In the grand scheme of the Budget, not that much. But it was a lower priority for National in that particular Budget than extra funding for private schools. I am really proud that Labour is saying we will give some extra support to people who have had to flee their homes, who have endured hardship, so that they may achieve their potential, have a fair go at owning their future, and fully contribute to our society. Its the right thing to do.

Posted in Refugee Study Grant, Tertiary and Education. | 0 Comments

In praise of… the ’school secretary’

September 2nd, 2011

Actually the title of this post is wrong. The person we used to call “the secretary” at our local school is now rightly given other titles such as Office Administrator or School Administrator. But even those don’t capture the role that they play in the running of schools and the well-being of the staff and students.

This morning I attended the farewell for Anne Young the long time Office Administrator at Cardinal McKeefry School in Wellington. Anne has been the friendly welcoming face of the school for many years, and right from when I met her I always felt welcomed and included when I visited the school. As I looked around the room at her farewell today I saw all kind of representatives from the community for whom Anne is their window to the school- from the bank, the contractors, other schools, parents, staff and of course the kids.

A couple of years ago when NZEI were running their support staff pay campaign I listened to some administrators detail the scope of their work. It was vast, but they all seemed to know that the ultimate reason for them being at work was the kids. At every school I visit the office staff have a great feel for the schools and the needs of children. I have observed them playing the role of counsellor, mentor, friend, shoulder to cry on and general supporters of a range of kids. They know them, keep an eye on them and notice all the ups and downs.

Schools simply could not run without the likes of Anne. From making sure the bills get paid to making sure the kids are looked after, they are a key part of our school communities. The jobs do not pay anything like what they should, so I thank them all for their service. All the best to Anne in her retirement, but also to all the school secretaries/administrators/whatever you are called, thank you for what you do.

Posted in Schools, Education and Wellington. | 0 Comments

When more means less

March 20th, 2011

Busy day today, so I only managed to catch up with John Key’s interview on Q and A just now. It seems the big story is that the (revised) new spending allowance in the Budget is gone.

GUYON Are you still going to spend $800 million more in the May Budget?

JOHN Well, I think the answer to that is no. What we are going to do is spend more on health and education. That may well be in the order of 600, 700, 800 million, but we are asking ministers and what they are working on is looking to reduce expenditure in other areas so that can be reprioritised to pay for the more in health and education we want and ultimately the Christchurch earthquake.

Leaving aside, for a moment, the thought of what is going to be cut in other areas (think housing, social development, Police etv) it could be easy to say, thank goodness that health and education will get more money. But with the sums of money John Key is talking about this will effectively be a massive cut for both sectors.

Let’s take Health. Before last year’s Budget , the CTU calculated just for spending to stand still it would take at least $555 million a year of new spending. The Budget fell at least short on that figure by more than $150 million a year, and that has delivered health cuts across the sector.

Add that investment deficit to what is required for this year just to stand still and John Key’s delightfully vague numbers above indicate that there is no chance of health getting anything like the money it needs. And remember that is not for any new services, wage increases etc. It is just to stand still.

We are going to hear a lot of spin in the next month or two about money going to health and education, but on the PMs words today it is cuts on the way. There will also be spin that anyone who proposes government spending is somehow committing economic heresy.

Of course we need to adjust to the new reality of the economy post-earthquake. It does require careful economic management, which might actually include sensible investments (spending) in our future. It needs to include support for innovation and job growth, and to give opportunities to future generations. What it does not need is a slash and burn mentality.

Posted in Economy, Health, Budget and Education. | 0 Comments

London Calling #6 A Thousand Cuts

November 24th, 2010

Almost every day since I have been in the UK there has been a story about cuts in public services in the media. Talking to people who are working in both central and local government over here they say it is like one body blow after another. Many people are so bewildered they just dont know what to do.

Of course, some people are doing a lot. And tomorrow there will be further fees protests across the country. That issue will not go away in a hurry, and has not been helped tonight by a patronising speech by Deputy PM Nick Clegg. The Lib Dems really are going to regret their total acceptance of the Tories proposal here.

But two of the cuts really caught my eye this week, and almost certainly have not made the news in New Zealand. They are the kind of short-sighted things that will only show up in terms of impacts in decades to come. The first is the cutting of library services. Cuts to funding for local authorities are seeing library funding slashed and many authorities more than halving the libraries they have. Author Will Self sums things up in the article above

“Libraries are a cultural resource of universal benefit that shouldn’t be subjected to the crude calculus of cost-benefit analysis. What they should do is provide access to as many books as possible for as many people as possible.”

The other cut this week that stands out is in terms of school sports Here the Tories answer to Anne Tolley, the Education Secretary Michael Gove wants to cut the 162 million pound fund for school sport. This provides teachers and resources for school sport partnerships. But more than that it gets kids active and encourages them into sport. This has obvious health and social benefits, but seemingly the government want to let problems like childhood obesity fester as they make short term decisions.

No one in the UK doubts that there need to be changes as the government grapples with the kind of debt levels we might have reached if Michael Cullen had agreed to English/Key’s clamour for tax cuts while in opposition. But serious questions are being asked about where the focus should be, and literacy and activity of kids just seems like the wrong place.

Posted in Students, Public Service and Education. | 0 Comments

The Student Loan Scheme

November 1st, 2010

The Annual Report of the Student Loan Scheme is out, and it gives some pause for thought. Almost $14 billion has been borrowed since the scheme began in 1992, with about $6.4 billion being paid back.

I was one of those original borrowers. There were some quirks to the scheme back then that have been ironed out. You could borrow the money for your fees and choose if it went to your bank account or directly to your institution. I had two friends who developed a rapid interest and then equally rapid loss of interest in dentistry one year. That is now not possible. You were paid in large installments (quarterly?), but could call a phone number and get money earlier if you needed it. I recall a shouted conversation into the pay phone in the bottle store of the Captain Cook one night. Now the living costs are paid in fortnighly installments.

I strongly opposed the scheme on its introduction. It was symptomatic of a government pulling money out of the tertiary sector and make education less accessible. Fees were going up, allowances were disappearing. The interest, both while studying and afterwards was a horrific barrier to repayment and indeed for some to borrowing in the first place. Labour in office got rid of the interest, capped fees and widened eligibility for allowances, and the scheme became more acceptable. Yet still it shackles young graduates with a large debt as they start their working life. I can say from my electorate work, it is still having an impact on some people borrowing for first homes.

But what can we replace it with that does not create further inequities and is affordable alongside the rest of the government’s priorities? The longer the scheme goes on, the more difficult it is get rid off. Labour went into the 2008 election with a policy that would have given all students an allowance, phased in over a four year period. This would significantly reduce the debt burden on students, but it is expensive (the annual cost then was estimated at around $210 million annually) especially in tighter financial times.

Other options that are live internationally include graduate taxes that eliminates the upfront cost barriers and have a time limit on them. There are also systems with more scholarships, bonding and employer contributions. Of course the ultimate answer its to invest more into tertiary education to help create the skilled workforce and inclusive society we want and need. But it has to be balanced against, health, housing, super and all the other things governments must do.

We are working on our tertiary policy now. Labour’s policy remains to make tertiary education progressively more affordable and accessible. We also want a quality system, which means resourcing tertiary institutions well, and understanding the changing way that people are accessing education. In the fifth Labour government we put a lot of attention on student support, in the future we also need to ensure that overall quality is enhanced, and not just universities either, but vocational and industry training too.

Whatever, we do need to see tertiary education as an investment in our collective future well being, and an integral part of developing a productive economy.

Posted in Students, Tertiary Education, Student Loans and Education. | 1 Comment