Too posh to pay

$2.6m for posh-school entry under fire as elitist
Private-school scholarships for poorer students have been attacked as an "elitist" use of taxpayers' money. But the Government says it is simply about giving choice to families who could not otherwise afford it. From this year, the Government is providing $2.6 million worth of scholarships to allow students from low-income families to attend a private school. The Aspire Scholarships will provide up to $15,000 towards the fees for every year a student attends the school. Up to $1500 will also be provided for course-related costs. The scholarships are part of a larger annual $10 million boost by the Government to "support wider access to private schools".

I love this 'change' that Government have brought in, money that should be going into the public education sector is now routinely given to this Governments mates in the private education sector.

While this Government handed out $35 million extra to the Private Education sector, they gutted 80% of adult education in the public sector. Poor rich mummy and daddys and the elitist education sector that panders to them need a helping hand from the taxpayer at the detriment of our public education. I love the line from Lindsay Adams in the news story...

Lindsay Adams, a former principal of Glendowie College in Auckland, questioned why the taxpayer should be paying $2.6m for students to leave the state-funded education system.

"Has a proper evaluation of this apparent elitist policy been put in place, or is it a means of buying Act [Party] support?"

...oh you know it is.