Parties lay out vision for higher education

File photo / Richard Robinson

The popularity of courses such as gender studies is a sign that the university needs an overhaul, the Act Party says.

The Reason and Science Society Tertiary Education Debate at the University of Auckland tonight saw political parties lay out their vision for higher education.

Act candidate Stephen Berry likened all other parties policies to bribery, aimed at getting student votes.

Mr Berry, who attended after the withdrawal of his leader Jamie Whyte, said education was a commodity, "like a can of baked beans".

Interest free student loans were unaffordable and led to questionable study choices, Mr Berry said.

"Gender studies looks like a far more attractive option when you can get an interest free loan."

At the other end of the political spectrum, Mana Party candidate John Minto said a free education was a fundamental right.

He said Internet Mana wanted free tertiary education, and insisted it was affordable if the rich were properly taxed.

Mr Minto recalled being paid a salary when he trained as a teacher and blamed Labour for introducing student fees.

Maryan Street, Labour's tertiary education spokeswoman, said her party would review student support.

That would lead to increases to allowances, accommodation and scholarships.

Ms Street took aim at National's focus on the "stem" subjects.

"I want a tertiary education system that values a historian as much as an engineer."

Kaikoura MP Colin King, representing National, said they planned to further increase the information available to students about job prospects and salaries in their chosen fields.

Mr King said continuing to grow the economy would also help students when they entered the work force.

He said the government made no apologies for trying to get more students studying stem subjects.

Julie Anne Genter, of the Green Party, said National focussed only on the short term, and that was reflected in its favouritism of subjects and its economic management.

Ms Genter said the Greens wanted to move towards free tertiary education. In the meantime, reinstating some student allowances and free off peak travel for students were policies that would help.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig was absent due to a throat infection.