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Discriminatory Fees Criticised

I would like to express my strongest protest at the recent N.Z. Government decision imposing $1500 fees increase on probate overseas students.

The New Zealand government claims that overseas students are here at the expense of New Zealand tax-payers. I would like to reject that claim strongly. I am here, not at the expense of New Zealand tax-payers but at the expense of my family and others at home who have made my study here possible. My parents send me the money for my fees, and expenses. I recieve no bursary or unemployment benefits. Moreover, I also pay taxes for the labour that I perform during summer vacation. I owe the New Zealand government nothing, and it doesn't deserve the claim.

The New Zealand government always claims that it has done a great service to us with its foreign aid programme in the educational field.

In actual fact, this form of aid is little and insufficient when comparing in terms of trade imbalance between New Zealand and Malaysia (where I am from) which is markedly in favour of New Zealand and also the ripping off of my country's resources to feed the New Zealand welfare state of today.

The $1500 fee increase has shown the New Zealand government's hypocrisy in its foreign aid programme. What is the 'meaning' of this aid when it has to turn on to overseas students and extract or earn from them a $1500 sum. This also shows the bankruptcy of the New Zealand economy when it has to resort to a minority group like us to 'earn a living.'

Frankly speaking, if the $1500 fee was imposed earlier, I would not have a chance to come to study here. My family is a middle class family and thus I choose to study in New Zealand because it is the only place which my family can afford. I still have many younger brothers and sisters who are receiving education and thus there is a heavy burden on my parents to work hard to earn a living. A fee of $1500 is 7 times as much as I presently pay. It means 7 years tuition fees. I can't afford to pay that sum of money. On top of this, there are other expenses like food and accomodation, air fares, clothing and other miscellaneous. In view of all these financial difficulties, the only way I have to resort to is to stay back in Malaysia. I think I can only imagine higher study in New Zealand in my dreams.

Education obviously has become a luxury. Indeed, no money, no education! I personally think that education is a right. We must fight for this right.