5. Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Tertiary Education
What advice has she received, if any, about the extent of the potential liability schools face if their adult and community education coordinator and tutors have to be made redundant because of the adult and community education funding cuts?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
I am advised that the responsibility to pay redundancy to adult and community education coordinators and tutors rests with the employers. Whether individual schools have a redundancy liability will depend on whether the schools have chosen to employ staff or to contract for their services. I have not been provided with advice about the extent of the potential liability of redundancy costs. Employers have been advised to seek advice and guidance from the New Zealand School Trustees Association about the entitlements of their employees.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
Does the Minister believe that schools should use the adult and community education funding provided in their funding contract to pay for redundancies?
The advice from the Tertiary Education Commission is that adult and community education funding can be used to meet redundancy costs. Any school that is intending to withdraw from adult and community education is encouraged to contact the Tertiary Education Commission, if it has not already done so.
Hon Maryan Street Link to this
Would the Minister reconsider her decision to cut funding for adult and community education provision through high schools if it transpired that the cost of redundancies would cause schools significant financial hardship in 2010?
Catherine Delahunty Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou. Is the Minister aware that the United Kingdom Government announced an additional £20 million investment in community education this week in response to a white paper that found that “Informal learning is important at any time. But during an economic downturn it is essential.”; and why is New Zealand’s position on this issue so out of step with this international thinking?