Source: Radio New Zealand
Grant Robertson says scrapping the policy will reduce accessibility and inclusion for students. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Scrapping of the fees-free policy for tertiary education will be “very disruptive” to students and their families, says former finance minister Grant Robertson
The scheme was introduced under Jacinda Ardern’s government and changed by the current government to cover the final year of study.
Finance minister Nicola Willis confirmed on Friday the scheme will get the chop in the upcoming Budget – adding that that students completing their tertiary studies this year remained eligible for fees-free.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report the harsh reality was the scheme had been “quite a failure”, and it was better to stop it and redirect some of that funding to trades training.
Former Labour minister – and now University of Otago Vice Chancellor – Grant Robertson told Checkpoint on Monday that students and parents have been budgeting with fees-free in mind.
“Really that’s my concern in an environment where I see the impact of the cost of living on the young people around us here at the university and on their parents,” he said;
Robertson said it’s expensive going to university, polytechnic or starting an apprenticeship, and scrapping the policy will reduce accessibility and inclusion for students.
“We’ll see what the government does with the money, and the trades is certainly an area where we want to include more people, but fees-free already did an element of that.”
He wanted the government to investment in tertiary education and research in the upcoming budget, saying it lifts the country’s economic prospects.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand