2 October 2007

Surprise, surprise - fees could soar under Nats

John Key's plan to scrap the fee maxima policy comes as no surprise to the Green Party.

Mr Key has announced National Party plans to remove the policy which currently caps course fee increases at 5 percent a year.

"This is typical, and yet another example of the classic National Party position to extract the state right out of the provision of public services," Green Party Education Spokesperson Metiria Turei says.

"Without a fee cap, universities will be free to raise fees, giving the Government of the day the perfect excuse to pull or reduce tertiary funding. While the current fee maxima situation is far from ideal, we believe removing all barriers to wholesale fee raises would be disastrous.

"The Green Party believes the fee maxima is only useful as a tool towards eliminating fees entirely. Our policy would cap and progressively reduce student fees, remove the ability for the Tertiary Education Commission to approve exemptions and investigate bonding or other mechanisms in exchange for fee-free tertiary education, while introducing universal student allowances.

"National is priming students to become cash cows for private industry and government coffers. Surely they can see the hardship and long term societal ramifications their previous free market approach to education caused. During their last stint in Government, a policy of unrestricted tertiary fees resulted in an 180% increase between 1992 and 1999.

"Student debt will reach $10 billion dollars next year. This Government has made pin steps towards halting the voracious debt monster - the last thing this country needs is a backwards leap from the National Party.

ENDS

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