Bursaries and promises

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33791, 13 March 1975, Page 16

Bursaries and promises

The Government could have made a reasonable case for declining to increase student bursaries at all until after the economy picks up. Had it made this case, and promised at the same time to honour its earlier undertaking to reorganise the bursary system and to raise the amounts paid when the economy improves, the country’s students might well have accepted the Government’s recent decisions on bursaries without so much complaint. Instead, the Government has merely tinkered with the bursary system, leaving an unfortunate impression that it is attempting to buy some students off with token amounts of money and stifle the criticisms of others with vague promises that a standard tertiary bursary scheme will be considered by the Cabinet

The Government will pay increased amounts this year to some students at technical institutes. The increase is small; but by giving students at technical institutions an increase, while denying university students any increase at all, the Government is anparently giving notice that it is sympathetic to the idea of a standard bursary for all students of tertiary education, whatever the institution they attend Growth in the numbers of students attending university has steadied, and full time enrolments at technical institutes are increasing. An increasing proportion of New Zealand’s young people are apparently deciding that a technical education is as congenial and useful as academic training at a university. They should not be penalised for making this choice, particularly since the country has as urgent a need for people with a technical training as it has for people with a university degree.

The Government has made one concession to the claims of university students that many were unable to earn enough last summer to support themselves throughout the academic .year; it has increased the amount of money available for the payment of hardship allowances. If this allowance is difficult to secure, some students may be discouraged from attempting to complete their university courses. The indirect effect of the Government s failure to raise bursaries may be that the ability of a student s parents to supplement his income may come to determine, to a greater extent than it does at present, who goes to university and who does not. Equality of educational opportunity is too important a feature of New Zealand society to be placed in jeopardy, however serious the country’s economic situation and however costly the measures needed to maintain it

The Government’s failure to introduce a standard, cnst-of-living, tertian’ bursary, or even to give students a small increase as a token of its intention to do so as soon as nossihle. is a failure to honour an elec’jnn promise. Unexpected changes in economic circumstances have given the Government an attenuate excuse for postponing action on some prnmise.r and breaking others. But its failure to p'ead this excuse cleariv. in this instance to the students, is disappointing evidence of the Government’s attitude.