Strong Protest Against Cuts [unclear: n] Education

The nationally- [unclear: chestrated] campaign, Education Fightback," was [unclear: ned] at bringing home to [unclear: e] public that the quality of [unclear: ucation] in New Zealand [unclear: s] threatened by cuts. In Wellington thousands of [unclear: dents] from Victoria [unclear: versity] and polytechnic [unclear: arched] on Parliament, [unclear: nile] 2000 students turned [unclear: t] for similar protests in [unclear: th] Auckland and [unclear: unedin]

There were calls for the [unclear: signation] of the Minister [unclear: of] Education (Mr [unclear: Welling-n] at a protest meeting in [unclear: thedral] Square, [unclear: ristchurch].

The protests were mainly peaceful, though a young man was arrested in Dunedin after he had squirted marching protestors with a hose from an office window.

In Wellington the president of the NZUSA, Mr C J Gosling, said the size of the protests demonstrated that New Zealanders would not accept the downgrading of the education system.

The Government could no longer ignore the depth of feeling about the education cuts, he said.

In Wellington thousands of students sang, acted, and chanted. University students and stall, teacher trainees, technical institute students and some secondary school pupils joined forces to march.

They assembled at Victoria University then marched through the city to Parliament. A group of university students from the drama studies course led the march with an on-going pantomine.

A masked "Mr Muldoon" cracked a whip and led a black-gowned "teacher" on a dog chain. A yellow-and-red clad jester named "Merv" performed tricks for lunchtime pedestrians.

Students chanted "education cuts don't heal." and sang "When Will They Ever Lean."

At Parliament they were addressed by the Opposition spokesman on education. Mr Russell Marshall.