Media Release; Cullen does ostrich on under-funding

Announcements made today by Tertiary Education Minister Dr. Michael Cullen are merely changing the window dressing and not addressing the on-going issue of under-funding.

“The key problem in the tertiary sector is under-funding. This newly announced funding model promises nothing to address the issue of under-funding,” stated Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association Co-president Natalie Absalom.

OPSA agrees that the current demand-driven, or “bums-on-seats”, funding model is flawed and has consistently advocated for its replacement. However, despite claims that the new model addresses these flaws, all it does is put the current issue into different wording.

“If you don’t have enough bricks to build a house, no matter how often you move those bricks around, you are still not going to be able to build that house,” said Ms. Absalom.

Adding to this new system will create more issues especially for the Institute of Technology / Polytechnic sector. A portion of a Polytechnic’s core business is learners that are up-skilling.

“Under a model that funds completions only, both that institutions and the learner may be left out in the cold as far as funding is concerned. Essentially this model could actively discourage up-skilling by refusing to fund it” stated OPSA Co-president Richard Mitchell.

Contact:

Richard Mitchell or Natalie Absalom
Co-Presidents
Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association

Richard: 021-182-6274
Natalie: 021-165-8963