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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 16. July 16 1979

Merv 'Speaks' to Students

page 12

Merv 'Speaks' to Students

OFFICE OF MINISTER OF EDUCATION WELLINGTON 10 July 1979 Mr A Tees President Victoria University of Wellington Students' Assn Private Bag WELLINGTON Dear Mr Tees Your letter of 25 June is acknowledged and your comments noted. My private secretary has, as you requested, informed me of your statements of 4 July. The manner of recent student protest has shown to me that no constructive purpose would be served by addressing your assembled gathering and, in view of your actions in my office on 4 July, I also do not believe you, as Chairman, would be capable or perhaps willing to control such a meeting. I am aware of my commitments as Minister of Education and my commitments to the people in the education system and advise you that I decline to give an address as invited. Yours sincerely M L Wellington Minister of Education

To all Students!—

The letter from the Minister of Education dated 10 July 1979, and this statement from myself are being published to make the facts and circumstances surrounding this letter quite clear and open for students to judge for themselves. On Wednesday July 4th, after a special meeting in the Union Hall, held to discuss the bursary situation, some hundreds of students marched immediately afterwards to Parliament.

As President, I went to the Minister's office and spoke to Paul Plummer, the Minister's Private Secretary. He told me that I could not speak to the Minister, nor would the Minister agree to speak to the students s assembled on the steps of Parliament.

While speaking to Paul Plummer, I observed Mr Wellington come out of a door across the other side of the Secretary's office. At this stage, I would like to make it clear that the only untoward action I took in the office was to raise my voice in calling to Mr Wellington by name in order to speak to him.

During my brief conversation with the Minister, and his Private Secretary I issued an invitation for the Minister to speak to the students outside and also to come to a student meeting at Victoria to explain the rationale behind the latest bursary announcement.

I would apologise to Mr Wellington for any undue inconvenience caused to him by my visit. However it is important for everybody to realize that it is not the manner in which a student President seeks to approach the Minister in this instance which is important, but why. As President I have a duty to represent students in this matter and make strenuous efforts to obtain an explanation for students about the recent bursary announcements. To this end two letters have been written to the Minister and one interview sought (successfully).

For two years working parties of all the concerned groups including the Education Department, Students's Associations, and others have met to discuss financial assistance to students. Out of the blue, the Government has introduced a substantially different form of bursary assistance which was never discussed by this review for Financial Assistance for Post-Compulsory Study. There was no prior consultation with students or tertiary institutions over the new system in advance of its announcement.

Now the Minister seems reluctant to even explain his decision in public to student leaders at Victoria.

Hopefully communication will improve in the future. As students make renewed approaches to the Government about this very vital issue, which concerns not only the very future of marry students at this university, but that of the University itself in the years to come.

Andrew A. Tees,

President — VUWSA.