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Vouchers by any other name - govt 'scholarship schemes' Education Minister Trevor Mallard last month announced three voucher-type programmes in the form of scholarships for trainee teachers. But privately-trained students have been left out. Education vouchers are supposedly a no-go for the Labour Party - so why do their education scholarships look so much like them, and why are private students forbidden access to them? In one scheme, students training to teach in Maori and in other subject areas where there are teacher shortages - maths, physics, chemistry and technology - have been offered government money to study for degrees. There is no limit on the numbers of scholarships awarded for secondary teaching, so anyone who includes a sufficient number of papers in one of these subjects in their degree and agrees to become a secondary teacher could be eligible. The government expects 400 scholarships to be awarded each year, compared to 225 previously. The $18.8 million teaching scholarship scheme could be worth more than $20,000 to some students, depending on the duration of their study. A new government scheme will also give assistance to students training to teach in Maori and Pasifika languages and to people from low income backgrounds training to be early childhood education teachers. Privately-trained students miss out Education Forum member and Early Childhood Council chief executive Sue Thorne said though the early childhood education scholarships were in theory a good idea, students from private training schools were not allowed to take them up. She said an ECC survey had shown up to 40 percent of all graduates were privately trained. "It is very disappointing and perplexing that a large number of students have been left out of the scheme. "Students at private training establishments get training that is particularly relevant to the workplace whereas some state training is quite detached from the realities that early childhood teachers face on the job, particularly for those working with the younger age groups. "And, anyway, why on earth is anyone being left out when there is such a dire shortage of trained teachers in the industry. It seems to be just another example of the minister's baseless aversion to private education." More information on the degree scheme is at this web page. Information on the early childhood scholarship scheme is at this web page. Information on the Maori and Pasifika scholarship scheme is at this web page. |
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