Education figures need a fact check
In yesterday’s Southland Times, Labour MP for Te Tai Tonga was being very selective with his education facts.
Rino Tirikatene claimed that enrolments were up at ‘‘most of’’ the polytechnics around the country following Labour’s fees free policy.
Let’s fact check that … the Tertiary Education Commission figures show there has been almost no increase in university enrolments and a 3.2 per cent drop (yes, drop) in enrolments at polytechnics and institutes of technology.
Mr Tirikatene forgot to mention that the fees free policy and Labour’s signalled immigration changes have wiped over $6 million out of SIT.
Manukau Institute of Technology in Auckland warned the government on Monday that its viability is threatened with proposed changes halving foreign student numbers, slashing 64 tutoring jobs and will cut revenue by $10 million per year.
That is not the quoted ‘‘big improvements’’ in my book.
The Government’s proposed changes to post-study work rights have prompted forecasts from Aspire2 that show there could be a direct hit to the economy of up to $1.4 billion and result in a loss of up to 1000 jobs.
Mr Tirikatene may need a geography lesson as I’m sure The Southland Times readership will not be interested in Otago or Hawkes Bay enrolment figures when local Southern Institute of Technology staff will be concerned for their jobs and the negative follow on effect of reduced international students to our region is imminent.
Labour’s policies are a big F for fail for Southland.
National MP for Invercargill I have never been a great Labour supporter but I do feel for the incoming government. I was hoping that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would spend a term as leader of the opposition before leading the country forward, however, not to be!
Instead the new look Labour party inherited a country with a ‘‘bogus’’ balance sheet.
It seems the National members in charge of the important portfolios such as health, education, law and order, and housing had a feeling they were an endangered species, i.e. their time in power was coming to an end, they sat on their hands for their last term in office.
Thus they showed a respectable balance sheet but left an awful mess for the incoming government to deal with!
All the key members, excuse the pun have left politics to join the private sector or retired completely from the public eye, while enjoying whatever perks they inherited have absolutely no remorse for what they have created for others to put right.
My feelings ... shame on you, you left this nation of ours in a shocking state and you care not.
Go away and never come back. We need you not. It was an interesting article presented in The Southland Times on July 31, about the Gothic, which brought back several memories of this ship to me.
Our family were in Wellington on holiday when the Gothic made it to port following the fire.
Our cousin, Lez Hamilton, was a second engineer on ships and he was posted on the Gothic to sail it back to Sydney (I think) for repairs following the fire.
Before he left port, he gave my father and I a tour of the ship to see the damage.
It was unbelievable how much damage was done.
Big 300mm square girders twisted and melted, big bottles of beer melted into a heap that more or less resembled dog poo.
Just so much damage, yet they managed to save it.
The article reported it well: If this had happened at port, they may not have saved it.