Annual reports from twelve of the country’s eighteen polytechnics show that the Government is drastically cutting funding to polytechnics, especially regional community polytechnics.
Across the twelve polytechnics that have released their 2011 annual reports, Government grants fell 4.4% ($17 million).
The polytechnics that have been the worst hit by 2011 funding cuts were regional polytechnics such as Aoraki in Timaru, where the Government grant fell by 19% ($4 million), Te Tai Poutini in Westport, a drop of 14% ($3 million) and NorthTec in Whangarei, which experienced decline by 13% ($4 million).
Three city-based polytechnics, namely Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) Auckland, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) Hamilton and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), Christchurch recorded an increase in their government grant.
Aoraki Polytechnic’s Chief Executive Kay Nelson blamed the Institute’s first deficit in five years on Government funding cuts, saying, “This had serious consequences for our financial position.”
Tertiary Education Union (TEU) National President Sandra Grey said that the Government was denying people in regional communities the chance to train for jobs.
“People want the chance to learn and they want that opportunity in their own local communities. Students in our regions should not see their polytechnics cut back and their learning opportunities diminished,” she said.
She said the problem was likely to get worse this year because the Government budget allows private for-profit companies to compete for funding that previously went to regional polytechnics.
Source: Tertiary Education Union
