$393 million extra for education in Budget

Education is to get an extra $393 million in new funding in 2003-4.

The new funding, announced in today's Budget, would take the total invested in education to $8.6 billion a year by 2006-7.

New spending equates to $393m for 2003-4, $479m for 2004-5, $617m for 2005-6 and $715m for 2006-7 over education spending in 2002-3.

Under today's announcements, schools would get an extra $61.2m over four years -- an extra $17.5m per school year. This involved a 2 per cent increase to per-pupil funding and most other components, Education Minister Trevor Mallard said in a statement.

Another $78m in new funding would be used to develop information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for schools, teachers and students over the next four years.

"We do have a good education system but we must keep investing in it to make it a great one.

"Clearly we need an education system that readily equips New Zealanders with 21st century skills, and secondly, that reduces the level of underachievement experienced by some groups in the education system. These are the Government's top two education priorities," Mr Mallard said.

Other initiatives include new funding of $55m for early childhood education over four years to ensure more children can get quality education before they get to school; $15m over four years to improve literacy teaching; $4.4m over four years for trial projects to help whanau support children's learning; and an extra $108.6m in 2003-4 for new school property works to support roll growth and to upgrade schools.

The Government has also set aside $1m over two years for discussions with the education sector "about how secondary schooling will meet the needs of students in 15-20 years time.

"We want it to be a process that is equally owned by the sector," Mr Mallard said.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen said labour was now the most important input in any modern economy and the quality and quantity of skills demanded continued to rise.

"Educating for a successful, innovative economy is, therefore, a crucial theme of budget 2003.

"But education is also about the development of each individual to his or her full potential and about the pursuit of values that cannot be expressed in purely monetary terms," Dr Cullen said in his budget speech.

Pre-budget announcements included:

* an extra 774 teaching positions in schools from 2004, with new funding of nearly $167m over four years;

* more than $22m in new funding for teacher supply initiatives, bringing the total funding in this area to more than $66m;

* $2.65m over four years to develop effective and best practice teaching for all students, particularly Maori and Pacific Islands students; and

* $78m in new spending to continue the implementation of the national certificate of educational achievement and administration of other qualifications.

- NZPA