Learn our way out of trouble
Investing in the future rather than cutting corners is the only way for New Zealand to survice the global financial crisis. It is crucial that our response as a country is to invest in learning and research to give New Zealand’s economy a chance to lift its way out of the threat of a long-term global economic crisis. TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs recently said:
“Tertiary education has the capacity, if well funded, to move people into new jobs and to move New Zealand’s economy in newly sustainable directions. We can choose, like other strong economies and communities, to learn our way out of troubles that were not our own making. But we need to overcome the current underfunding, and we need to do it now while we still have time.”
We need to resist the temptation to cut public services, because investing strategically in public research and education will be one of his best tools for making sure that New Zealand is well positioned to climb above global financial troubles.
School for Recovery
It’s at times like this that we need more investment in people, and particularly in their education. With this in mind, Education International (EI) is developing a plan for action, not only to defend public funding for education, but also to mobilise political support for investment in education as a critical element in economic recovery [...]
TEU welcomes training for nine day fortnights
“It’s great to see the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics of NZ (ITPNZ) offering free or low-cost training to people who opt into the government’s nine-day fortnight programme,” says Tertiary Education Union TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs [...]
Govt expectations may have tertiary education institutions on edge
The government’s document Expectations for Pay and Employment Conditions in the State Sector seems to be placing pressure on many tertiary-education institutions to depress wages rather than face explaining higher wage bills to the state services commissioner [...]
Incoming TEU President Ryan calls for end to redundancies
Newly elected TEU national president, Dr Tom Ryan, says it is time for the CEOs and vice-chancellors of the country’s tertiary-education institutions to join up the dots and take action if they are going to step up to the challenge New Zealanders have laid down for them to combat the global financial recession [...]
Tighter belt no excuse for more workload, says TEU
Education Review reported TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs last week as saying that the union will face a round of pay negotiations this year “against a background of tight finances in the tertiary sector”.
“We wouldn’t be holding our breath for additional government funding this year,” Ms Riggs is quoted as saying [...]Tertiary education can join the economic rescue team
The Tertiary Education Union says that the government needs to consider investing in tertiary education as one of its central responses to overcoming the economic recession.
“We applaud the government’s decision to invest over $200 million of its financial rescue package into education,” said TEU National Secretary Sharn Riggs [...]
