Party over, Cullen tells polytechs

Michael Cullen

Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen has warned tertiary providers the days are numbered when they can run marketing campaigns that promise the earth as well as a "crackingly good social life" on campus.

Dr Cullen, given the portfolio in the recent Cabinet reshuffle in order to fix the sector, delivered the warning in his first speech as minister to the Institutes of Technology and Polytechs of NZ Conference in Wellington yesterday.

He said the kind of high-growth strategies of the last decade "will not cut much ice".

"Nor will the kind of branding exercises we have sometimes seen, where instead of providing good information about an institution's strengths, the focus seemed to be promising all things to all learners, and a crackingly good social life on campus as well."

National's education spokesman, Bill English, said Dr Cullen's comments were bluff and bluster.

"These are independent institutions that control their own budgets. He can't really ban them from promoting themselves.

"Labour wants all this nice cuddly collaboration, but the fact is that tertiary education is competitive."

Mr English said he thought Dr Cullen was talking about Otago University's recent television advertising campaign, but Otago had to attract students from elsewhere to survive.

"He can't be seriously suggesting he makes every student go to their nearest university."

Dr Cullen also used the speech to blast the approach of some tertiary providers in the 1990s who pursued "cash-cow" opportunities in an atmosphere that encouraged high-growth strategies for their own sake.

"These caused justifiable outrage amongst taxpayers and politicians," he said.

The Government came under political fire in the last term over low-grade tertiary courses offered by some institutions, including twilight golf.

Te Wananga o Aotearoa was also slammed for recruiting huge numbers of students to questionable courses to attract more funding.

Stung by the criticism, in August the Government announced a shakeup, including prohibiting any certificate- or diploma-level course growing by more than 200 equivalent full-time students in any 12-month period unless approved in advance.

Dr Cullen, dubbed Mr Fixit, said he was looking forward to working with the tertiary sector to create an engine for economic growth and social development.

He said the "quality reinvestment programme", announced in August as part of the shake-up, involved re-allocating $177 million over five years from low-quality to more relevant, higher-quality courses.

"Many institutions will look very different in five years' time. That is what the quality re-investment programme is all about."