XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 31

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

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GOVERNOR:

THE COST RECOVERY OF 18% I'D BE DELIGHTED TO COMPARE FOR YOU WITH COST RECOVERY IN OTHER OECD COUNTRIES AND, IF YOU WOULD LIKE, THOUGH I DON'T HAVE THE FIGURES ON THE BACK OF MY CUFF, I WILL FIND OUT THE FIGURES FOR YOU AND WRITE TO YOU OR TO IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A STUDENT UNION YOUR STUDENT UNION AND LET YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE FIGURES ARE. I DON'T MYSELF BELIEVE THAT IT IS UNREASONABLE EVEN IF ONE IS CONSIDERING THE ISSUE IN A STRICTLY EGALITARIAN WAY TO EXPECT THOSE WHO GO THROUGH TERTIARY EDUCATION TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THAT WHICH THEY HAVE TO REPAY WHEN THEY ARE USUALLY BUT NOT ALWAYS GETTING RATHER BETTER PAID IN LATER LIFE THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN THE CASE IF THEY HADN'T BEEN TO TERTIARY EDUCATION. I THINK THAT IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE FOR EXAMPLE, BETWEEN PUTTING MORE MONEY INTO THE FEE REMISSION SCHEME FOR KINDERGARTENS OR DELAYING COST RECOVERY IN THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SECTOR I WOULD THINK THAT THERE WAS A GREATER EGALITARIAN SOCIAL NEED FOR US DOING MORE AT THE LEVEL OF 3 TO 5 YEAR OLDS, ESPECIALLY WHERE THEIR PARENTS FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO AFFORD KINDERGARTEN FEES. SO, FOR

MB,

THERE ARE EGALITARIAN ASPECTS TO THIS AS WELL AS OTHER ASPECTS BUT I HAD BETTER NOT GO ON ABOUT EGALITARIANISM BECAUSE YOU MIGHT THINK, SOME OF OUR FRIENDS TO THE NORTH THINK THAT I AM A SOCIALIST.

QUESTION:

BEAR WITH

I AM ALSO ASKING A QUESTION ON EDUCATION. I DON'T THINK EDUCATION SHOULD BE REGARDED AS PERSONAL INVESTMENT, IT IS A SOCIAL INVESTMENT RATHER, SO THE GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY SHOULD THE BIGGEST RESPONSIBILITY. THE RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD NOT REST STUDENTS. I AM NOT SAYING THAT WE STUDENTS DON'T WANT TO PAY THE FEE BUT WE WANT TO PAY A REASONABLE FEE, ONE THAT CAN BE AFFORDED BY OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILIES. NOW IN THIS YEAR, 1994, I AM PAYING $12,000 SORRY, $12,000 FOR A HALF-YEAR AND THEN NEXT YEAR FOR THE FULL TERM IT WILL BE $36,000. NOW FOR THE FIGURE OF $36,000 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, IN MY CASE IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO AFFORD. I DEFINITELY HAVE TO TAKE A PART-TIME JOB TO PAY THAT FEE. SO IT WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM MY ORIGINAL THINKING THAT I WOULD NOT TAKE A PART-TIME JOB DURING MY THREE-YEAR COURSE.

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MR PATTEN, YOU SAID YOU ARE ONLY GIVING $300 MILLION MORE FOR THE GRANT AND LOAN SCHEME BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR ALL TERTIARY STUDENTS. THERE ARE OVER 40,000 OF US, SO THAT SUM WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TO COPE WITH THE PROBLEM. I HOPE YOU CAN ANSWER MY QUESTION. THANK YOU.

GOVERNOR :

THERE ARE ABOUT 46,000 OF YOU, I THINK, AND ABOUT 40 PER CENT ARE GETTING LOANS AND GRANTS. 1 AGREE WITH YOU THAT INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION ISN'T JUST A UTILITARIAN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT. INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION IS ALSO VALUABLE IN LIBERAL WITH A SMALL 'L' - TERMS AS WELL. INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION, INVESTMENT IN UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS HELPS TO PRODUCE A MORE DECENT AND CIVILISED SOCIETY AND HAVING READ CARDINAL NEWMAN ON THE SUBJECT, I FEEL EXTREMELY STRONGLY ABOUT IT. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CAN TOTALLY IGNORE THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF EXPANDING TERTIARY EDUCATION AS RAPIDLY AS WE HAVE EXPANDED IT HERE. AND THAT DOES MEAN THAT SOMEBODY HAS TO FOOT THE BILL AND WHAT WE ARE EXPECTING AT THE MOMENT IS THAT STUDENTS SHOULD MEET ABOUT 13 PER CENT OF IT.

/YOUR SAID