6. Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
How will cuts in Vote Education “ensure that New Zealand is positioned to take advantage of the economic recovery as it happens”, as she stated yesterday?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
The premise of the question is that Vote Education has been cut. Well, that is not the case. We have made some reprioritisations but, despite a tough economic climate, Vote Education in Budget 2009 rises from $10.5 billion to $10.8 billion. I am very proud of that quality investment in education.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
How does she reconcile cuts to adult and community education with the views of her colleague Bill English, who, when National Opposition education spokesperson, said: “For more than 50 years, night classes have provided a leg-up for people wanting to return to the education system. National supports these low-cost courses. The current system of night classes through schools works well and should not be tampered with.”?
There will still be funding for adult and community education in some schools, to community providers, to the Rural Education Activities Programme, and to wānanga, and other tertiary institutions, but in tough times we have to focus that money on funding literacy, numeracy, and foundation courses. I know that members of the Opposition are really disappointed that there will not be any taxpayer subsidy for courses such as how to dance at a party. I understand there is a rather disturbing YouTube video that shows that Mr Mallard and Mr Hodgson could perhaps have done with attending that course. But this Government has to redirect its funding to higher priorities.
Colin KingWhat new initiatives in Budget 2009 will help the export education sector contribute to the economic recovery?
It is very important for us to support our export education sector, and we have been able to do that through Budget 2009. The previous Government taxed schools with a $900 export education levy for every international student. Despite tough economic times, we have managed to more than halve that figure to $420. That leaves more money in the hands of schools and will help them to attract more international students. We have also committed an extra $2 million to international education promotion over the next year to help attract more students to New Zealand.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
What does the Minister say to the Arai Te Uru Kōkiri Training Centre, a Māori training provider of Māori and Pasifika young people in Dunedin, which, with the disestablishment of skills enhancement funding, will be unable to run its 10-year-old chef training programme, or does the Minister think that is a hobby course like Moroccan cooking?
The skills enhancement programme was one that was continually undersubscribed. The target market for that programme is the focus of our Trades in Schools and our Youth Guarantee initiatives, and we will announce more about them shortly. Those very students will be picked up and brought under those initiatives in a more focused way.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
What effect will cuts to industry training funding have on the Pipiwai Agriculture Training Centre in Dannevirke, and will it be able to continue to provide its land-based training courses in fencing, farm machinery handling, and business and finance to mainly young Māori men, or does the Minister think those courses are hobby courses like gardening in the wind?
We are not cutting funding to industry training. The only difference we have made is that although the previous Government gave a CPI adjustment, for the first time, to industry training last year—it had promised it for the out-years but had not funded it—we have said that we will not continue it. If we are cutting funding, then in fact the previous Government must have cut funding to industry training for the previous 8 years.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Why has the Minister claimed support for export education, when her budget shows that she has cut the educational counsellor network, cut the export education innovation programme, reduced the number of international doctoral research scholarships from 38 to 10, and cut out the domestic status for German and French masters students, which has been part of the New Zealand - Europe relationship for decades?
I have to answer only one of those questions. In answer to the member about educational counsellors, I tell him there is a great deal of concern amongst the export education industry that in fact those counsellors are not as effective as we would like them to be. But we have not cut them; they are still in place. We are merely cutting back on some of the funding. All the previous Government wanted to do was spend, and some of the spending was ineffective—some of it was very ineffective.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
I seek leave to table a press release dated 30 January 2006, in the name of the Hon Bill English, entitled “Night school classes under threat in the Bay of Plenty”.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
I seek leave to table a speech given by the Hon Bill English on 18 March 2005 to the Community Learning Association Through Schools conference in Christchurch.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
I seek leave to table a report from the Westport News of Wednesday, 3 June, entitled “Budget cuts kill courses”.
Mr SPEAKERHon Maryan Street Link to this
I seek leave to table two further articles: one is from the Waikato Times entitled “Night classes face chop”, and one from the Manawatu Standard, entitled “Dark times loom for night school”.