Pupils’ tertiary plans queried

Press, 19 July 1988, Page 16

Pupils’ tertiary plans queried

By JENNY LONG A survey of Christchurch high school students this week aims to find out which tertiary qualifications they would like to gain. Universities and polytechnics may have to face further limiting of student numbers next year. The University of Canterbury Students’ Association, which is running the survey, wants to show the Government how many Canterbury pupils want to enrol next year in tertiary institutions. The survey is part of a national “Keep it open” campaign which all New Zealand universities are running to focus attention on enrolment restrictions. “The future for high school students is threatened by the Government’s under-funding of the universities,” said the Canterbury student president Mr Sam Fisher. “University funding has increased in real terms by 2.5 per cent, in ten years, but student enrolments have gone up by 38.8 per cent.” Increasing course restrictions at Canterbury were due to Government under-funding, Mr Fisher said. In 1989, first year courses which have restricted the number of students they can take are law, economics, accountancy, art history and psychology. Other courses with limited entry include business administration, computer science, economics, engineering, and mathematics. All of these subjects were in the professionally skilled areas most needed by New Zealand now and in the future, Mr Fisher said. Christchurch Polytechnic had also recently announced it could have to cut courses in some areas because of a lack of funds. “We believe the Government has to put money behind its repeated statements that further education and training is vital for New Zealand’s economy,” Mr Fisher said.