2003 education policy highlights

As the year draws to a close, we look at some of the education policy highlights of 2003.

February

• Canada's Fraser Institute launched a multi-million dollar education initiative to help parents in financial need send their children to an independent school of their choice. Children First is at this web page.

• The Education Forum released Who Should Pay? a book by Norman LaRocque looking at the financing of tertiary education. It is online as a PDF document.

March

• Fulbright scholar Maureen McLaughlin released a study calling for maintaining the policy of student fees and public/private sharing of costs to ensure adequate resources for tertiary institutions and more participation from Maori and Pacific Island students. Tertiary Education Policy in New Zealand is online as a PDF document.

September

• The National Party released an education discussion document that supports school choice and argues that funding to schools should be based primarily on enrolments and not who owns them. Schools of Excellence is at this web page.

• Independent Schools of New Zealand released a report arguing that raising the subsidy rate to independent schools was likely to reduce the government's schooling costs and improve overall school performance.

• The government launched its public-private sector investment framework for the development of teaching and research partnerships between tertiary institutions and business. The Partnerships for Excellence facility is for tertiary institutions to seek matching funding from government for large-scale investment projects (generally those valued at $10 million or more).

October

• The Education Forum released its vision piece for secondary education - A New Deal.

• ACT MP Deborah Coddington released her book Let Parents Choose that looks at the arguments for and against giving parents the freedom to choose their child's schools. More information is at this web page.