£6lm. Target For University Plans

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30543, 11 September 1964, Page 10

£6lm. Target For University Plans

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 10. The Government has set itself a target for university development of more than £6l million for the next five years. This was announced today by the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) in a statement outlining Government approval of increased block grants to the universities to meet their operating expenses for 1965 to 1970.

The new block grants the ratio of staff to students amount to £32,273,000 over the particularly in the arts and five years. science departments. “When this is added to the Mr Kinsella said it was for current five-year building the university councils to 'programme of £29,385,000, it decide how they should apmeans the Government has portion those funds among set itself a target for uni- all the competing claims versity development of more within their institutions, than £6l million,” he said.

Mr Kinsella said the grants had been approved by the Government on the recommendation of the University Grants Committee. “They provide for the growth of student numbers which, for students attending lectures, is estimated at more than 40 per cent in the next five years,” Mr Kinsella said. There was provision for expansion of the service provided by Massey University for extra-mural students and also for the growth of student numbers attending the “short” or extension courses offered largely to the farming community by Lincoln College and Massey University. The grants provided for the new University of the Waikato, the development of Massey into a full university offering courses in arts and science and a full course in veterinary science. University extension work and adult education courses offered by all the universities would in future be paid for from the block grants and provision was made for the work at present being done and for some development of it Sums amounting to about £2 million were also being made available to the University Grants Committee for distribution by it for research work in the universities and for a new scheme of postgraduate scholarships and fellowships which aimed. to encourage the best of New. Zealand’s graduates to. do their research for higher degrees in New Zealand before going overseas for further study. Mr Kinsella said that finally the grants included provision for a number of improvements within the universities. Increased expenditure on libraries, on working equipment and materials and for the maintenance of buildings had been provided for. There was also provision for a modest improvement in