'Bursaries too low’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33775, 22 February 1975, Page 16

'Bursaries too low’

Many universities and technical institute students will be forced to give up their studies this year, according to two teachers’ representasentatives. The presidents of the Association of University Teachers'(Dr W. C. Clark)

and the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutes (Mr F. Cotton) said in Christchurch yesterday that many technical institute and university students would not survive the year of the present level of Government bursaries. The staffs of the country’s 12 technical institutes and six universities were concerned that students were now enrolling without any indication that the Government had recognised their plight. There had been no recent increases in student bursaries while ofher sections of the community had received substantial increases to cope with the cost of living, they said in a joint statement.

University and technical institute teachers felt a keen responsibility for the welfare of their students and believed they had a duty to speak out strongly in support of the legitimate' student claims for an increase in bursaries, Dr Clark and Mr Cotton said. The teachers were con-

cemed that their teaching efforts would be frustrated if their students’ attention was distracted by distress at their inability to support themselves long enough to complete the academic year. It was ludicrous for the Minister of Education (Mr Amos) to call on students to accept their share of economic restraints in the present recession and to require equality of sacrifice from students on bursaries as low as $BO a year, they said.

Only an announcement by the Government of an immediate increase in bursaries could allay the anxiety of students about to enrol. Negotiations should begin immediately with all educa-tional-groups, including students, to establish a standard tertiary student bursary, Dr Clark and Mr Cotton said. Such a scheme was essential to produce equality of educational opportunity for the country’s 50,000 technical institute and university students.