School fees jump 130 per cent

A town's school fees have jumped an average of 130 per cent in the past five years.

The rise has raised parents' fears that some Nelson schools will become elitist.

MP Nick Smith surveyed Nayland College, Nelson College, Nelson College for Girls and Waimea College and found voluntary fees or donations had increased an average of 130 per cent since 1999.

He said parents were struggling to pay the extra and students were choosing subjects on the basis of which had the lowest additional costs.

Nelson College had one of the biggest increases, from $110 to $280.

Motueka High School fees went up 50 per cent and Golden Bay High School fees went up 100 per cent.

Jan McIntosh, who has one son at Nelson College and two who are former students, said she was concerned the college could become elitist as school fees increased and agreed that fees could restrict students' subject choices.

"Single-income families like ours will struggle and will have to look at their options," she said.

Subjects her son wanted to study this year, such as photography and woodwork, had added costs for materials.

Ms McInosh added: "I want to let him do the things he wants to do. It's his life, his education. It's terrible to think parents might have to restrict kids' choices because of money."

The cost of implementing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) had been huge for schools, with one reporting photocopying costs alone of more than $40,000, Dr Smith said.

He claimed schools had not received "one dollar" to implement the qualification, while the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) had been given an extra $50 million to administer it.

Nelson College headmaster Salvi Gargiulo said: "To provide the level of education we do, the reality is parents are going to have to pay for it," he said.

A spokesman for Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope, Pete Coleman, said operational funding for schools had risen by $288 million between 1999 and 2004.

Mr Coleman said New Zealand's spending on state schools was the third highest in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), and Labour had increased spending on schools by a third over the past five years.

He disputed that the level of parents' contributions had risen. "In total, parental contributions and donations amount to about 6 per cent of total government funding for schools, which has remained constant over the past five years," he said.

He emphasised that school donations were voluntary.

- nzpa