It seems that everybody鈥檚 opinion about TAFE matters except that of us 鈥 TAFE students.
No one asked, from example, for my views on the proposed deletion of聽聽from the Newcastle campuses.
The security guards, the class support workers and the front office person do a great job and, from my interactions with them, are hard-working, friendly and essential.
They are my go-to people,聽especially as there is no TAFE Students Association in the Hunter.
The recent sale of Scone TAFE is another example of us students being ignored.
Apparently, the government and Racing NSW stitched up the sale last August.
It shows a profound lack of concern for students that Minister for TAFE聽Geoff Lee, would endorse the sale and then permit new聽enrolments聽at Scone TAFE, knowing that these students wouldn鈥檛 be able to finish their courses there.
Racing NSW has聽promised to聽deliver the 鈥渞ight mix of courses鈥 on the site so that the region has the 鈥渘ecessary skilled labour鈥. As a show of good faith, they should allow currently enrolled students the option of completing their studies with existing resources and facilities at Scone TAFE.
Perhaps the board member of Racing NSW who leads a regional university could follow-up on this?
Let鈥檚 look at another area where students鈥 opinions aren鈥檛 sought or considered: fees.
Scone聽TAFE聽still offers聽enrolment聽in the Farriery Certificate IV. The fee is up to $3240. The Certificate III in Agriculture costs up to $2620 and Veterinary Nursing Certificate IV can set you back a whopping $12,600!
In 2015, a new fee system 鈥 鈥 brought in huge fee increases under the guise of offering students聽choice.
If that was the choice, then more than聽30,000 students chose to say 鈥淔orget it!鈥
Student numbers, currently around 141,000, are still down from the 176,000 who were enrolled in 2014 before Smart and Skilled was introduced.
We now have another聽report聽in聽which聽 that a Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) in TAFE would 鈥渓evel the playing field for students.鈥
Level the playing field for whom?
Did the authors sit down with students in the cafeteria or the library and ask them about how Smart and Skilled TAFE鈥檚聽enrolment聽and fee system really is?
A HECS-style debt would most likely start low, but the fees would increase, interest rates聽would聽creep up and the payment threshold聽would聽go down.
Within a few years, lower income students, who are more likely to attend TAFE, would be accumulating interest payments and debts to burden them for years.
With a HECS-style loan would the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing cost even more than $12,600?
The vocational education and training (VET) loans scheme previously introduced聽led to聽students聽being聽saddled with聽$80,000聽debts.
If the聽government wants to know what鈥檚 wrong with TAFE, then聽it聽should read last year鈥檚聽.
That聽report found that TAFE was poorly managed as it tried to balance 鈥渃ommercial, competitive and efficient鈥 goals with the social objectives of the聽TAFE Act聽which states that TAFE should focus on providing 鈥榚ducationally or vocationally disadvantaged groups (such as women, Aborigines, persons of non-English speaking background, persons with disabilities and persons in rural areas) with access to technical and further education services鈥.
Given the聽government聽is聽prioritising turning a profit聽from聽students, no wonder聽it聽does not聽want to hear our voices about sell-offs and fees, or see us organised in a strong and independent student association.
Despite all this, I love learning at TAFE.
Students and workers know that we will have to continually retrain, reinvent ourselves and adapt to the new economies, such as the shift to renewables.
Given this reality, it is good the Community and Public Sector Union is calling for TAFE to be fully funded, with no student fees.
Similarly,聽the聽Hunter Jobs Alliance is calling for TAFE to make more courses free as a way of supporting workers to transition into new jobs in new economies.
At least someone is listening.
[Wayne Barret is a former welfare worker and member of Socialist Alliance.]