National bursary plan

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 16

National bursary plan

The National Party's announcement on student bursaries was unrealistic and possibly unworkable, said the president of the Lniversitv of Canterbury Students’ Association (Mr P. F. Dunne) yesterday. In a letter to Mr Dunne, the National Partv spokesman on education (Mr L. W. Gandar) said that a National government would retain the pre-1975 Budget level of binding and the approximate level of assistance would be eauivalent to the total cost of the standard tertian- bursan- for 1976. Mr Gandar also gave an assurance that supplementary allowances would continue and said these w-ould be extended to include technical institute students. i

s. A National government . would increase the level of the present boarding allowances and the question of the place of boarding allowances • in the future would be con-' . sidered at the "time of the /consultations.” Mr Gandar gave no defin-' • ite assurance on whether • future student bursaries might be tied to a cost of living index. Asked about the possible . recognition of Student Teachers’ Association as the I sole representative of stud- . ent teachers in w-age and f salarv negotiations. Mr Gan-‘ . dar said that the association ( would be recognised as a ■ “partv to the (bursaries) con-' . ference but in the event of student teachers being paid an allowance as teachers in training, it would not be recognised as the sole repre- ( sentative of student teach- . ers.” ;i i Mr Dunne said that the .

proposal put forward by the National Party was poorlyput together and seemed de- : signed solely as a votecatcher for unsuspecting and gullible students. “For example, while the retention of the levels of allowance and bonding at ■ pre-Budget levels would be ; more acceptable for student ' teachers, this does little to alter the iniquitous situation : that exists with regard to bonding. “Further. Mr Gandar’s comment that ‘the approximate level of assistance ‘would be equivalent to the total cost of . the standard tertian- bursary for 1976.’ is delightfully vague and meaningless.” Mr Dunne said it was also obvious that the National' Partv wished the interests of. student teachers to remain! (tied to the “apron strings of the Educational Institute and the Post Primary Teachers’ Association ”