Teachers not in favour of user-pays

Press, 29 August 1986, Page 28

Teachers not in favour of user-pays

PA Wellington Post-primary teachers have criticised the userpays principle in education, and the voucher system advocated by the Op-, position spokesman on education, Miss Ruth Richardson.

The Post-Primary Teachers’ Association president, Mr Peter Allen, told the annual conference that vouchers would debase the education system, and produce blandness and uniformity through destructive competition between schools.

Under such a system, which is strongly supported by Miss Richardson, parents would be given vouchers to redeem at the school of their choice. It would mean schools would be largely funded through the vouchers, rather than through the Education Department.

The idea is part of the present general trend towards user-pays services. The reasoning is that by exposing schools to market forces consumers - parents and pupils - would have greater choice. Mr Allen said the effect would be quite the opposite. Talk of user-pays in

education „was diverting attention from the urgent task of improving staffing in secondary schools. Mr Allen rejected criticism by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, of the proposal to scrap School Certificate in favour of an internally assessed award. He said removing external assessment would not cause problems in maintaining standards, and there was clear evidence external examinations discriminated against many pupils. “These recommendations can only be regarded as an attempt to improve the position of students in the education system,” Mr Allen said.

He attacked the Government for delaying promised staffing increases next year. He said it should have improved secondary staffing by using the money saved when teaching positions were terminated because of falling rolls. “We cannot wait (for the increases),” Mr Allen said. “Our schools cannot wait, and our students cannot wait. This decision makes no sense. The savings are there to be used.”