Monday, January 26, 2015
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
Stair test for fireman
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The sound of bagpipes filled the Ashburton air yesterday as the town hosted its annual pipe band festival.
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Education costs mount BY DAISY HUDSON DAISY.H@THEGUARDIAN
Mid Canterbury parents may be feeling the pinch as the new school term approaches, with the cost of education on the rise. As well as uniforms and stationary, the increasing use of technology in classrooms may also see some parents digging deep for their child’s education. According to the annual ASG Education Programmes survey of more than 1000 Kiwi parents, the total cost of a state-provided education for a child starting
school in New Zealand this year will hit nearly $35,000. For a child born this year, that could rise upwards of $37,000. While the Ministry of Education says eligible students are entitled to a free education in state schools, one local principal believes the idea of a free education is “a bit of a misnomer”. Mid Canterbury Principals’ Association president Chris Murphy said there were a lot of pulls on the “very limited” resources provided to school by the government.
“What I say to our parents when they talk to us about it, because it’s a question that comes up often, is that the government really funds the schools for a bare bones type operation,” he said. The ASG survey shows the cost of state-integrated and private school education is also set to spiral. For a child born in 2015, the total cost of a stateintegrated education will reach $107,962, while a private school education will cost $323,814. The increasing amount of
technology used in Kiwi classrooms could also add to costs, with several schools around Mid Canterbury introducing the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme. Mount Hutt College principal John Schreurs said BYOD would be introduced for the college’s Year 9 students this year. Mr Schreurs said while students were expected to bring their own device, the school would look at ways to meet the needs of students who were unable to do so.
“We certainly don’t want to have anybody left out,” he said. “It’s the same as if there was a compulsory trip and someone couldn’t afford it, we look at ways to do that.” Ministry of Education acting deputy secretary of student achievement Lesley Hoskin said laptops or tablets in schools were not compulsory, and parents must agree to any charges. Children cannot be excluded from the delivery of the curriculum if parents do not agree to the charges, she said.
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