Source: Radio New Zealand
Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds. RNZ / Mark Papalii
The government considered phasing out the fees-free tertiary education scheme but decided it was too complicated, opting instead to axe it in one go.
The policy which covers the cost of students’ third year of tertiary study will be gone in the upcoming Budget.
Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds on Tuesday said the government did consider staggering the change so students who began studying under the impression their third year would be free, would still still eligible.
“It made it more complicated because obviously people start at different times through the year, so it was easier to have a hard end to it, and then it’s really clear for everyone,” she said.
The funding was never a promise, Simmonds said.
“Things change from year to year, from budget to budget, and it hasn’t been something that has necessarily incentivised people to study.”
The scheme was first introduced by the former Labour government in 2017 as a first-year fees-free scheme, beginning from 2018, before the current coalition shifted it to the final year from 2025.
That meant current second-year students missed out on getting their first year free, and would now also miss out on the final year.
The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the scheme was “quite a failure” and did not achieve any of its goals.
Some students have told RNZ they relied on it, and they’re questioning whether they can still afford their study.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand