NZQA fails trust test

Nearly a quarter of people asked in a new survey about the tertiary education system said they had little or no confidence in it.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority-initiated UMR survey of 750 people found 36 per cent had confidence, 24 per cent had little or none and 36 per cent were neutral in their opinion of the system.

The survey summary said New Zealanders had a "middling" level of confidence in the quality of tertiary education provided.

No marked differences between demographic categories were noted.

National Party education spokesman Bill English said the results showed taxpayer money - about $3.2 billion a year - was not well spent.

"Six years of Labour's stewardship have left a legacy of low-value courses, low expectations, budget blowouts, 70 per cent non-completion rates for sub-degree courses and a lack of accountability," he said.

Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen recently announced that the system of funding based on student numbers would be replaced by an outcomes-focused approach.

- NZPA