Fed: Dems slam govt over drop in postgrad student numbers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2001
Fed: Dems slam govt over drop in postgrad student numbers

CANBERRA, April 26 AAP - Falling numbers of students in postgraduate education was
a direct consequence of government cutbacks to universities, Australian Democrats leader
Natasha Stott Despoja said today.

Senator Stott Despoja said Education Department figures showed domestic postgraduate
coursework student numbers had declined by more than 12 per cent since cutbacks began
in 1997.

"As most postgraduate students are part-time, the decline in 5,600 full-time equivalent
places between 1997 and 2000 translates to a decline of more than 10,000 students," she
said.

"Dramatic declines in areas such as science (22 per cent), agriculture (27 per cent)
and education (21 per cent) are a very poor basis for an innovation society or a knowledge
nation."

Senator Stott Despoja said the problem was not just cutbacks but the seriously flawed
logic underpinning the government's agenda.

"The central belief in the government's approach to postgraduate education is that
students gain a significant private benefit, therefore they should pay full, upfront fees.

"The government does not seem to realise that there is little or no gain in private
wealth from postgraduate qualifications in many areas.

"However, there is a significant public benefit in terms of better skilled nurses,
teachers, social workers and agriculturalists," she said.

AAP dep/kjp/mg

KEYWORD: POSTGRAD

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