Labour promises to ditch voluntary school donations

Labour is taking on voluntary school donations with a promise to scrap them. The proposal is part of a $4 billion plan to ‘‘revitalise the education sector’’ to be outlined today by Labour leader Andrew Little. Little said Labour would give an extra $150 per student to every school that agreed to stop asking parents for a donation. ‘‘We expect the parents of more than 450,000 students will no longer be asked to pay a donation.’’ The cost of the move was about $70 million a year.