Student-fee bill attacked

Press, 10 December 1979, Page 4

Student-fee bill attacked

PA Wellington A bill providing for private overseas students to be charged $l5OO a year to attend university or technical i institutes in New Zealand has been reported back to Parliament amid Labour opposition. ! The Education Amendment Bill, which was reported back from the education select committee, was based on inIcorect assumptions, said the Opposition’s Senior Whip (Mr C. R. Marshall, Wanganui). The Government had said that most Malaysian students \ the majority of New Zea- I land’s foreign students, who sudied here came from weal-, thy families. But evidence gathered by \ he New Zealand University ; Students’ Association indi-' cated that this was not true. A survey of overseas high-' school students from Malay-, sia indicated that families spent an average of 38 per ; cent of their income to send a child to New Zealand. The Government had also given as a reason for imposing the fee the fact that a ihigh proportion of Malaysian

' students stayed in New Zea- : land after graduating. : But that also was not true. I In 1977 there had been 214 Malaysian graduates but only i 16 had been granted perma- ; nent residence. Last year 245 h had graduated and 32 had i i been granted permanent reisidence. The Government had also argued that overseas students received more than they were i entitled to but there was no!' evidence to support that claim. They were not eligible for ; bursaries or fees grants and i reducing the number of over- I seas students would make no , difference to the salary bill;, ,in universities or technical , institutes. But the Minister of Edu-J cation (Mr Wellington), said! 'the Government should im-j 1 ipose a quota on overseas! i students. j "That is a legitimate thing : to do: it is a well established precedent in every Western country,” he said. The Australian Government charged $l5OO a year to! overseas students, Fiji $2350 for students in excess of its foreign quota, the United

States between $3OO and $5OOO, and Britain more than . $4OOO. It cost the New Zealand taxpayer an average of $3OOO a year to educate foreign students and that was probably a conservative estimate. He had discussed the proposal with the Malaysian Minister of Education and "he had not objected, as such, to the introduction of !the fee.” The Malaysian Government was making loans , available for students wishing to study abroad. The Opposition was more concerned about a “handful” of overseas students than about the New Zealand taxpayer. A petition signed by 11.000 persons protesting against the imposition of the fee was reported back from the petitions committee without recommendation. The petition, in the name of Daniel Ng leng, called on the Government to reverse jits decision. The Opposition forced a division on the reporting back of the petition which it lost, 28-44.