User-pays education proposal

Press, 29 March 1979, Page 4

User-pays education proposal

A user-pays system in which persons wanting a “second chance” education pay the full cost, is being considered by the Minister of Education (Mr Wellington).

Because of the state of the economy, said Mr Wellington, it would be irresponsible of him not to consider the possibility of persons having a “second chance” education paying a commensurate amount towards its cost.

Mr Wellington, who was in Christchurch yesterday as part of a New Zealand familiarisation tour, said he was looking at the present fee-paying system across the board for “sceond chance” education.

Turning to schools, Mr Wellington said he felt excessive demands were being made on them by the community. Schools had adolescents for only hours each day, but the community tended to look to them as “ambulance shelters” for so much, which they were not.

Schools must retain the capacity to carry' out their traditional functions, Mr Wellington said, but his concern was the added pressure from the community impinging on that role. Mr Wellington was on his first visit to Christchurch as Minister. Yesterday morning he visited the Trengrove Kindergarten, Clyde Road, and later Mairehau High School, where he saw classes in progress. On Tuesday evening he met Christchurch State and independent secondaryschool principals. Today he will visit Rotorua schools.