95bFM Tertiary Education Union: ‘We need to have discussions about how the tertiary sector can be funded better’
7 July, 2023
Interview by Spike Keith, adapted by David Liwei Shi.
A one-off government boost hopes to address universities' financial issues. But the Tertiary Education Union is warning that proposed cuts to jobs and courses are still on the table. Photo: The University of Otago.
The government recently announced an additional $128 million dollars in funding for Aotearoa’s tertiary sector.
This comes as universities across the country are proposing sweeping cuts to jobs and courses due to severe financial pressures.
Tertiary Education Union President Dr. Julie Douglas told 95bFM’s The Wire that these proposed cuts are “deeply concerning.”
“We don’t have a reserve army of labour who you can turn on and off when you don’t want them, and expect to be able to overnight get them up and running again.”
“Every time we cut a course or let go of dedicated, committed, and experienced staff, we don’t just lose them this year, we lose them for the future.”
The government's one-off boost hopes to address universities' financial issues, offering a further four percent increase to tuition subsidies at degree level and above in 2024 and 2025.
This is in addition to the five percent increase allocated during Budget 2023, which the government called the most significant funding increase for tertiary education in 20 years.
Douglas said the tertiary sector has been historically underfunded and is glad the government is “doing the right thing.”
“In the last 20-odd years or so, we have not seen the funding into this sector kept abreast with inflation. The last 18 months of accelerated inflation has laid bare the problems universities have with chronic underfunding.”
She highlighted that issues like understaffing, low domestic and international student enrolment, and a lack of financial resources are plaguing universities nationwide.
However, she said that this recent funding does not address the quantum of the deficits faced by Aotearoa’s universities.
“We need to find a way to deal with these short term issues that we are experiencing, but not let the response be leaving up with a legacy of a depleted education system.”
She hopes that university vice-chancellors will make good decisions about how this money will be used and put a halt to what is happening in the tertiary sector.
“We need to have discussions about how the tertiary sector can be funded better, and we are very keen to be a part of shaping the future.”
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