Parents paying 'too much' for education

The National Party is calling on the Government to carry more of the cost of education after a survey showed parents will in future be paying almost $10,000 to send a child to a state secondary school.

"Free education is a myth, and every parent is paying a substantial amount," National's education spokesman, Bill English, said yesterday. "It's outrageous that at a time when we have the biggest surplus in a lifetime, the state education sector is reliant on parents to keep schools afloat."

The survey was commissioned by the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) and asked 1780 New Zealand parents about spending on school fees, donations, uniforms, sports gear, stationery, computers, extra tuition, transport and school trips.

It took the median cost and inflation-adjusted the totals over the next 18 years.

For a child starting third form at a state secondary school in 2018, the cost over five years would be almost $10,000. For a state-integrated school it would be nearly $18,500, and a private school about $95,000.

Mr English said between 1999 and 2003 there was a 97 per cent increase in school donations nationwide.

He said the amount of funds received from parents and fundraising in the community now stood at $453 a pupil a year.

"In recent years, parents have paid the bills while [Education Minister] Trevor Mallard has spent up large on more bureaucrats and his own pet projects," Mr English said.

"Hopefully, the ASG survey will encourage the new minister to change that attitude."

He was referring to Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope, who is in charge of the compulsory school sector.

Mr Benson-Pope reacted to the survey by acknowledging the contribution parents and communities made to their local schools.

"It would be a concern if the amount parents were paying had risen sharply in proportion to the amount being given to schools by the Government," he said.

"But it is clear from statistical data collected by the Ministry of Education that parents' share of the cost of state education has changed only marginally in recent times."

Mr Benson-Pope said that between 1999 and 2003 the proportional contribution of parents increased by less than 1 per cent of Government funding.
Government spending had increased by 20 per cent to $4.1 billion in 2004/05.

He said the ASG figures included school uniforms, stationery and trips.

"These are costs that parents have always met in our school system, and it would be silly to suggest that parents expect the Government to fund these."

The School Trustees Association said evidence that the cost of education was increasing would not surprise parents.

"We know from the ministry's own data that parents are contributing record amounts of locally-raised funding," association president Chris Haines said.

"This amount is expected to exceed half a billion dollars in 2005."

He said trustees, parents and principals had every reason to be concerned about inadequate funding of operations grants.

- NZPA