Extra education advocated

Press, 8 April 1987, Page 8

Extra education advocated

PA Hamilton All school leavers should have the right to three free years of further education or training, says the National Party’s spokeswoman for education, Miss Ruth Richardson. Funding for this threeyear education or training could come from the present tertiary education budget and from about $B6 million spent on unemployment benefit and training schemes for young people.

Miss Richardson said the three-year free education or training would make much better use of these funds and would help raise the low level of skills.

Miss Richardson also wanted to see the school leavers and the market, not politicians, decide what further education or training they wanted.

Miss Richardson saw the issue of user, rather than State control, and real equality of opportunity, as the two key factors in future tertiary education planning. That equality should exist whether a school leaver wanted to train as a shoemaker or study for a university degree, she said.

“I can see no justification in taxing people on low and average incomes to help a few people who will in future earn high incomes.”