Thursday 25 June 2009

stop night class cuts

i'm putting up an email i received today from my friend and hamilton city councillor, daphne bell, regarding cuts to adult and community education:

Dear Friends
You may know that funding to community education classes will be cut by 80% in 2010. This will save the government $16m. nationally but will mean that most high schools will no longer offer affordable neighbourhood learning for more than 200,000 adults each year.

If you value evening classes and would like them to continue, please
  • write or email the Minister of Education simply saying why you value evening classes. MPs regard each letter they receive as representing 300 voters. Write to Anne Tolley, Minister of Education, PO Box 18-888, Wellington (copy to your local MP - same address) No stamp needed. Or email - anne.tolley@parliament.govt.nz - same format for your local MP.
  • send campaign postcards to MPs. I have a supply or you may order your own from Moana Papa email: moanapapa@ihug.co.nz (no charge).
  • you may also wish to sign the petition at your local library
  • letters to the editor are well read, help to gather support and keep the issue alive

Please email or talk to people you know and encourage them to support the campaign to keep evening classes in our communities.

Community education classes encourage lifelong learning and respond to local needs. They help people to learn new skills, to be more confident, to be healthier and fitter and to keep connected to their community http://www.stopnightclasscuts.org.nz/

Many thanks
Daphne Bell


in a related issue, i'm also pretty pissed off at the proposal to cut student loans and allowances to senior citizens. it's such a small amount of money, given the relative numbers (around 150 out 61,000 students, i think), yet the benefits in terms of health and well-being are relatively high. this is the height of stupidity.

2 comments:

LynW said...

So glad to have these clear guidelines to distribue so peolpe's concerns can be appropriately voiced. For further feedback on this issue I recommend Red Alert site,Trevor Mallard June 8th with 42 comments. Well worth a read. Keep up the great job HM

john said...

Sent off an e-mail re ACE to the minister. Thanks for the reminder.

The taking away student allowances/loans for 150 senior citizens? It sounds an awful lot like the same petty points scoring that saw some 80 women under 18 lose their DPB in National's "Mother of all budgets" in 1991. Seems like the National leopard is incapable of changing its spots for very long...