Steven Joyce, new Tertiary Education Minister, has floated the idea that a portion of universities’ funding should be pegged to pass rates or course completion rates. That way, taxpayers are meant to know that they are getting value for the heaps of money they are pouring into students by way of allowances and loans.
But hang on a minute – just look at his own tertiary education record. By his own admission in a recent interview, he enrolled in vet science at Massey, failed everything (or “didn’t make the cut”) in his first year, enrolled in Chemistry for two weeks and decided he didn’t like that either, then enrolled in Zoology, which he eventually did go on to complete some years later. By current standards, he would probably go down as THREE ‘did not completes’. How would Massey feel about enrolling him for another chance if 10% of their funding were to be dependent on students passing??
But he went on to be a valuable contributing member of society – and make a lot of money as well. So why is he looking at pulling up the ladder and not allowing other people to do the same as him? People’s lives, like his, do not always follow a linear path but often unfold with age in a series of ever widening circles. Reminds me of Paula Bennet, the gutsy solo mum who pursued tertiary education successfully with the help of the state, axing the Tertiary Incentive Allowance for those solo mums wanting to do degrees like her.
So ladders are OK when you’re climbing them right? But there’s no use for them once you have got to the top?
There is a new political programme on TV3 right now and they didn’t think to ask this very question because they were too busy being nice to Steven Joyce…
Capitalists don’t like competition.
Since when has hypocrisy from a national party minister been a surprise.
What’s this new political programme?
TV 3 at 11.00am. repeat tomorrow?
Thanks, I’m going to look it up.
I’m getting sick to death with everyone thinking Joyce is the bee’s knees. The guy has tonnes of money to spend in both of his original portfolios (transport and communications) yet has been slow to act in one of them (broadband rollout) and utterly reckless in the $10.7 billion he’s throwing at motorways over the next decade in the face of peak oil and climate change.
I hope someone will eventually take him to task.
jarbury
He sacres me, always has, he speaks with forked tongues. His meteoric rise is payback. People forget to ask themsevles what for, and buy the media line that it’s his increbile experience.
Do these interviewers not ask the obvious or hard questions because the politicians on there will only answer questions they have in advance? I am genuinely asking, not being smart.
Good question Tracey. Nobody’s asked Joyce why he’s creating Auckland Transport CCO despite the advice of treasury, the department of internal affairs and everyone else.
Rodney Hide is taking most of the stick for the Super City mess, but actually in the case of the Transport CCO it is Joyce driving this, not Hide. Yet nobody’s taking him to task.
Why not???
Yep – good question Tracey. I thought Joyce was heading right into a trap Duncan was setting for him – by reiterating policy stuff around linking funding for universities to course completions and exam pass rates. But then Duncan pulled his punches!! Say what?? It was much easier for Joyce to flick off questions around PM aspirations than it would have been for him to justify pulling up the ladder.
We see it over and over, the questioning get sinteresting, e lean forward thinking, her eit comes something important, and then it’s like the car is swerved away at the last minute.
jarbury, I think it is absolutely National tactic to keep Hide in the hot seat over Auckland. If it succeeds they, Nats, can claim credit, as Labour has in the past with Jim Anderton, or Green initiatives. IF it fails, it will all be HIde’s fault. Joyceis on a win-win here unless someone or someoutlet holds his feet to the fire.