Funding for vocational education has plummeted yet again, with data released today showing that government funding for the sector has been slashed by more than 31 per cent since 2012.
Figures released by the NCVER today show a sector in financial crisis, with the TAFE system hardest hit by the cuts.
‘It is disingenuous of the government to attribute the sharp decline in funding revealed today to a crackdown on VET FEE HELP. Once funding for VET FEE HELP is eliminated from the statistics, the real story of government neglect can be seen,’ said Pat Forward, Federal TAFE Secretary for the Australian Education Union, today.
‘It is clear that in any other sector of the economy, or education, sustained funding cuts of this magnitude would be cause for immediate action,’ she said.
Under the Turnbull government’s watch, funding for TAFE has been slashed, the sector has been ravaged by the operations of for-profit providers, and billions of dollars of additional government funding have been channelled to the private sector.
The activities of dodgy private providers have damaged the reputation of the vocational education sector, undermined TAFE, and left students with debts.
‘The figures released today show that the Turnbull government has walked away from TAFE, and from students attempting to improve their chances of accessing a high quality vocational education.
‘Not only does the Federal government have to match the ALP’s TAFE funding guarantee, it must urgently re-invest in the sector, to ensure that students have access to courses and TAFE places in 2018,’ Forward concluded.
