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6 EDUCATIONLINK February 15, 2016 Picture Courtesy: Massey News Free tertiary education promises skills development David Shearer Member of Parliament Everywhere I have lived in the world, I have observed that parents – no matter what their culture or politics – are keen to give their children the very best education they can. Good education will lift a family out of poverty, and enable a career and fulfilment at work, give choices in life, be the means to support a family, and enable families to buy their own home. My parents wanted good education for me; my wife Anuschka and I want the same for our children, and so it goes on. New Zealand has always had an education system which is our pride. That is certainly the aspiration of the Indian community. Indian families want their children to do well at school. So many Indian parents tell me how well their children are doing. It comes with a lot of hard work, but that is the reason why so many are in professional positions. Inspiring Speech In the last century, Peter Fraser who was Labour Prime Minister from 1940 to 1949), gave a speech about education that has become famous, still inspiring the Party’s education policies. He said,“The government’s objective, broadly expressed, is that all persons, whatever their level of ability, whether they live in town or country, have a right as citizens to a free education of the kind for which they are best fitted and to the fullest extent of their powers.” Labour Leader Andrew Little was inspired by this timeless philosophy when he made his big education announcement on January 31, 2016. Working Futures He announced Labour’s new Working Futures Plan. The Plan will provide three years of free post-school education across a person’s life to enable Kiwis to adapt and thrive in the changing 21st century economy. Since the National government took office in 2008, Tertiary student numbers have dropped by 20% and apprenticeship numbers have slumped by 22%. That is a worry. It means a less educated New Zealand, not more. It is urgent that we keep learning and adapting. The very nature of work is changing rapidly in New Zealand, and we need to seize the opportunities of the future. We need one of the best educated workforces in the world. Acquiring skills Labour’s Plan means that no matter what path someone chooses to take after they leave school, be it university or an apprenticeship, or other-training, they will get the skills they need to succeed without being shackled with years of debt. Importantly, the Plan will continue to be available throughout a person’s lifetime. So, if you are made redundant, or need to retrain for a more relevant career, you will still be able to access free tertiary education. It means our children will be able to adapt to the skills needed in our society and businesses will always be able to find the skilled workers they need to prosper. Clever move Labour’s “Working For Futures” Plan is an education policy, but it is also a strategically clever economic move. To get ahead, New Zealand needs an innovative and job-rich economy to support the growth, education and living standards Kiwis deserve. We are thinking long term about a better New Zealand. Study values communitywater fluoridation Massey News New research from Massey University shows that community water fluoridation remains cost-effective, despite an overall reduction in the average number of decayed teeth in both fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities. Updated observations Massey University Centre for Public Health Research Senior Analyst Caroline Fyfe and Professor Barry Borman wrote a Paper called, ‘A cost effectiveness analysis of community water fluoridation in New Zealand,’with Dr Guy Scott and Dr Stuart Birks of the University’s School of Economics and Finance. The Paper was published in a recent issue of the ‘New Zealand Medical Journal.’ The study updates the last economic analysis of community water fluoridation, published by ‘Wright et. al. in 2001 and used national data on difference in tooth decay between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities. It found community water fluoridation (CWF) was most cost-effective in larger communities but also that the intervention remained cost-effective even in smaller communities (of under 5000 people). Fluoridated areas New Zealand was one of the first countries to adopt community water fluoridation to lower rates of dental decay. Results from early trials found that children born and raised in fluoridated areas had, on average, 50% less dental decay than children from non-fluoridated areas. Today approximately 56% of New Zealanders have access to fluoridated water. In Massey’s latest study, researchers found communities with a higher risk of dental decay.Those with a high level of economic deprivation or those with a higher proportion of Maori ethnicity benefited most from community water fluoridation. According to Ms Fyfe, her team gathered information on the costs of installing and running CWF by sending out questionnaires to local authorities fluoridating their water supplies. “We used data from the 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey to calculate cost savings from reduced demand for dental treatments. The cost-effectiveness of CWF per decayed tooth prevented was compared to an alternative of treating a decayed tooth. Cost-effectiveness was also compared between communities of different population sizes,” she said. CWF was deemed acost-effective public health intervention despite a reduction in the average number of decayed teeth in all communities over time.
February 15, 2016 EDUCATIONLINK 7 Free post-school training makes economic sense Phil Goff Keeping New Zealand as a place where people want to live and where their families can thrive is really important. We have a lot to offer - a stable, peaceful, largely harmonious country with a beautiful environment and generally good public services. However, last week, two new releases sounded a warning that a better future is not automatic and we have to work for it. Drying Dairy Firstly, it was the news that the global dairy trade index fell again by 10.4%. Dairy is our biggest export,- making up nearly 30% of all that New Zealand sells overseas. The crash in prices over the last two years is a reminder that we need to diversify our exports and not just rely on good commodity prices. Secondly, Kiwi tertiary student numbers were reported to be falling by 30, 000 in the next three years. Add that to 20% decline in tertiary students and 22% decline in apprenticeship numbers since 2008 and you see a worrying fall in our future skill levels. Skilled resource For New Zealand to be an economically successful country, we need to take action to ensure that our people - the country’s most valuable resource-are highly skilled. We need to be creating jobs that are high skilled, high paid and creating high value-added products and services to sell overseas. Over the last year, Labour has focused a lot of its policy work on the ‘Future of Work.’International research shows up that nearly half of all our current jobs will not exist in ten to twenty years. Technology will have replaced them. Bold commitment That is why Labour Party Leader Andrew Little, in his ‘State of the Nation’Address on January 31, 2016, made a strong and bold commitment to free post-school education and training. The policy gives all New Zealanders, who have no previous tertiary education, access to three years of postschool education or training. It has been carefully costed and will be progressively introduced from Labour’s first budget in 2019 to be fully implemented by 2025. It will be a priority spend from the $1 to $2 billion new spending available each year to Government. Structural unemployment With rapid automation and new jobs requiring higher skills, we will face high levels of structural unemployment unless we help people to train and retrain. It doesn’t make sense to leave people trapped on an unemployment benefit. Unemployed people cannot support their families, pay taxes or contribute to the economy. That is economically wasteful as well as being socially disastrous for those out of work. Part of Labour’s policy will be to use the dole to subsidise employers taking into new apprenticeships people who have been out of work for some time. People will have access to Labour’s three-year free education and training at any point during their working life and for academic or trades learning. Monitored funding Use of the funding will be carefully monitored to ensure it is delivering results. Students must pass more than half their courses to qualify for their next year of study to be free. It’s about delivering results, not throwing money at a problem. The policy has won wide support across the community. The National Party has criticised the policy. It is a real pity that political parties too often feel the need to oppose a good idea just because it comes from another Party. New Zealand needs policies that prepare us for the future and meet the needs of the changing world. Phil Goff is former Foreign Affairs, Trade and Justice Minister and has been Member of Parliament for 35 years. Elected from Mt Roskill, he is today Labour Party’s Spokesperson for Defence and Ethnic Communities. Mr Goff has announced that he would contest for Auckland Mayoralty at the Local Government elections this year A double take on Paraprosdokians Ray Annamalai, North Shore, Auckland Winston Churchill Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or a phrase is surprising and is frequently humorous. The late Sir Winston Churchill loves them. Here are a few: 1. Where there is a will, i want to be in it. 2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you; but it is still on my list. 3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak. 4. If I agreed with you,we would both be wrong. 5. We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public. 6. War does not determine who is right, only who is left. 7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism;to steal from many is research. 9. I did not say it was your fault; I said I was blaming you. 10. I thought that I was wrong once but I was mistaken. 11. I used to be indecisive, but now I am not so sure. 12. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target. 13. Going to Church does not make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 14. You are never too old to learn something stupid. 15. I am supposed to respect my elders, but it is getting harder and harder for me to find one. 16. Always borrow money from a pessimist. He will not expect it back. 17. A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip. 18. Hospitality is making your guests feel like they are at home, even if you wish they were. 19. Money cannot buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. 20. Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go. 21. A clear conscience is usually a sign of bad memory. Help guide Auckland’s direction for 2016/2017 Each year we set our budget to meet future growth and deliver the services that council provides. As part of our Annual Budget consultation we want your feedback on rates, theInterim Transport Levy and local board activities and priorities for 2016/2017. Visit shapeauckland.co.nz to have your say and find out how you can provide your feedback in person at one of the Have Your Say events in your local board area. Have your say by 4pm on Thursday 24 March, 2016. For more information, to provide feedback or for afull list of Have Your Say events, visit shapeauckland.co.nz,oryour local library, service centre or local board office. BC5129_150216
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