‘User-pays’ education still just theory—Mr Marshall

Press, 12 September 1986, Page 8

‘User-pays’ education still just theory—Mr Marshall

The present “user-pays” theory about university education was still “ideas in heads” rather than policies on paper, said the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall, in Christchurch last evening. Mr Marshall reassured about 40 people at a meeting on university

education that nothing had been formally decided about making students pay for their courses. Cost recovery from education was a problem, however. “I still have to think about the money and where it goes,” he said. “Is it fair that 18 per cent

of my total (budget) goes towards the 5 per cent in universities and only 1 per cent to those in nonacademic training?” There had to be an alternative to the American system, however, under which, typically, a young veterinarian graduated after seven or eight years of study with a debt of up to $lOO,OOO. His or her starting salary was usually $lB,OOO, Mr Marshall said. The meeting was an open forum attended by people from universities, polytechnics, schools, and community groups. It was held to allow Mr Marshall to respond to questions about universities which came out at a similar forum chaired by Dame Jean Herbison earlier this month. The chief difficulty with trying to change universities was that no-one seemed to have a clear idea of how to answer the questions being asked, Mr Marshall said. “The university system in New Zealand is maledominated, hierarchical, and British-based. It hasn’t changed in 30 years,” he said. Universities had to have more community input, had to become more conscious of what society

wanted. More participation at top levels by women, Maoris, and Pacific Islanders was also needed. “University is dominated by young, full-time students,” Mr Marshall said. Part-time hours and more flexibility in courses would open universities to more people. The type of people going to university was also causing concern. It tended to draw white, middle-class people or those able to pay rather than being an option for anyone. Mr Marshall did not rebut criticism from the meeting about the recent increasing of university fees to provide money for more Maori and Pacific Island scholarships. The meeting felt these did more harm than good as they encouraged divisions and privileges among students. More attention to the way courses were structured was needed. Mr Marshall said universities were places for learning how to learn, and more whipping up of enthusiasm and thinking. The “fossilised” approach to courses, and the difficulty of introducing new ideas, were problem areas.