Govt continues support for Canterbury Tertiary Institutions

The Government will provide another year of guaranteed funding to the three Canterbury tertiary education institutions (TEIs), regardless of enrolment levels, as they recover from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

“The Government and the Tertiary Education Commission Board appreciate how important it is for these TEIs to maintain their capacity as the Canterbury region rebuilds and recovers over the coming years,” Mr Joyce says.

“This decision provides on-going funding certainty for the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, and allows them to focus on their long term recovery strategies.”

Mr Joyce says that although overall student enrolments in the region for 2013 are forecast to pick up slightly, the Government wants to give the institutions the support they need to explore and respond to opportunities for the future.

“The Government is committed to supporting these institutions address the effects of the earthquakes. We want the TEIs to be well positioned to make the most of the opportunities to contribute to the Canterbury regional recovery,” Mr Joyce says.