$63 million cuts disaster for schools

$63 million cuts disaster for schools

The Ministry of Education will now have to stump up $63 million from its budget to fund employer contributions to KiwiSaver and other retirement schemes, said Post Primary Teachers Association president Robin Duff.

He said the ministry would pick up the tab for employer contributions to KiwiSaver and other retirement schemes currently paid by the State Services Commission and it would mean more cuts to services and support for secondary schools.

"These did not show in the education budget because government has left the ministry to decide how and where the cuts would be made and these are yet to be decided," he said.

"The PPTA has serious concerns that individual secondary schools could also face paying the employer contribution for support staff, caretakers, cleaners and any staff hired over-and-above the school's entitlement".

He said the government had been underhand by saying education and health had received increased funding, when secondary schools would have to suffer both $63 million cuts, $24 million stripped from schools operational grants in the guise of quarterly funding and no inflation adjustment to the operations grant.

"This is all on top of the ministry's share of the almost one billion dollar cuts to public services," he said.

Robin Duff called on the secretary of education to clarify where the cuts would fall and what level of the cost would fall on secondary schools.

"It's as if the government has abandoned any commitment to state secondary schools," said PPTA president Robin Duff.

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