Research takes front seat in new strategy

The Government would accord high priority to research in its Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015, with additional funding for various disciplines.

The New Zealand Vice Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) was meeting with the Tertiary Education Commission officials with their submission documents at press time.

The Committee’s Current Chair and Christchurch based Lincoln University Vice-Chancellor Professor Roger Field said that he and his counterparts were pleased with the new draft strategy.

“The strategy places more emphasis on research than its predecessors, although a reference to the Performance-Based Research Fund working well for all parts of the  sector appears to overlook the fact that the fund was not designed for non-research institutions,” he said in a statement.

But the new draft had weakened the links between the Government’s priorities and investment plans for tertiary education institutions, he said.

Among the other members of the NZVCC are Vice-Chair Derek McCormack (AUT University), Professor David Skegg (Otago University), Professor Pat Walsh (Victoria University), Dr Rod Carr (University of Canterbury), Professor Roy Crawford (Waikato University), Steve Maharey (Massey University) and Professor Stuart McCutcheon (University of Auckland).

The five-year Strategy incorporates a projected increase in the number of young people achieving at level four and above of the National Qualifications Framework, particularly completing degree-level qualifications.

The NZVCC believes that the Government was using the draft strategy to focus on a few key aspects of the tertiary education system and examining the possibilities of redirecting funds without compromising quality.

Professor Field said the Committee was concerned about the quality of degrees offered by institutions other than universities.

“These may not be of international standard,” he said.

Tertiary Education Minister Anne Tolley said while funding was central to all types of education, it was important to ensure the best return for taxpayers’ money invested in public services such as education.

“The strategy also sets out the improvements sought by Government in the performance of the system. We believe that the providers should make better use of the resources and be more responsive to students and the industry,” she said.

The NZVCC agreed, saying that the need to constantly improve the educational and financial performance of providers cannot be disputed.

The Strategy did well to list strengthening research outcomes and boosting the achievement of Maori and Pasifika students as priority issues, Professor Field said.

“The remaining priorities are continuing to assist adult learners to gain literacy, language and numeracy skills that lead to higher-level study or skilled employment, and increasing the number of young people moving successfully from school to tertiary education,” he said.

The Committee noted Ms Tolley’s observation that the Government had to manage the impact of the previous administration’s unfunded promises for tertiary education totalling $521 million in Budget 2008.

“The economic situation now is different compared to 2006 when the last strategy was released.

“The Government is facing significant deficits.

“The priorities in this strategy will help us make hard decisions about how to fund tertiary education over the next five years,” Ms Tolley said.

The Government has allocated $20 million over four years to support an increase in the number of medical places and $4 million for the summer research scholarships scheme in its current year’s budget.