Adult & Community Education - responses to funding cuts.

Many of you may be interested in this campaign as you are involved in ACE or have seen the impact ACE has in your communities. Please pass this onto other colleagues, friends and family who may be interested.

CLASS (Community Learning Association through Schools) has set up a website - http://www.stopnightclasscuts.org.nz/ which has resources and information posted on it.

From CLASS:
In the midst of numerous cuts to education in the Budget was a major cut to adult and community education. From a CTU perspective there is a broad range of concerns about overall cuts in education spending.

However, we have been asked to pass on the information below about a developing campaign on ACE. Community Learning Association through Schools (CLASS) - Response to Funding Cuts

You will be aware of the recent Government Budget announcement to axe Adult Community Education (ACE) funding in schools. School coordinators and principals met this week to develop a strategy aimed at convincing the Government to reinstate the ACE funding and a nation-wide campaign - Stop Night Class Cuts - is now underway.

We are requesting that communities from around the country support the collective action planned and, in doing so, save more than one hundred years of adult learning in schools. The full implications of National abandoning its commitment to lifelong learning will be the loss of opportunities to engage in lifelong learning for more than 200,000 learners. Total funding for ACE is just $16 million, out of a total tertiary budget of $2.77 billion.

A nation-wide petition, a postcard protest to Parliament, an email campaign and a range of locally-driven initiatives are already underway and we urgently seek your group's support in our campaign to reverse the cuts.

Things you can do are:
* Email the Finance Minister, the Hon Bill English at b.english@ministers.govt.nz and the Minister of Education, the Hon Anne Tolley at anne.tolley@parliament.govt.nz expressing your concern
* Ask members of your organisation to email or write to the ministers (FREEPOST Parliament, PO Box 18888, Wellington) about the effects of the cuts
* Organise your membership to sign the petition, available from Robyn Hambleton at Wellington High School (robyn.hambleton@whs.school.nz or 04 385 8919) or on line at www.stopnightclasscuts.org.nz
* Send the "stop night class cuts" postcards (available from Wellington High School) to MPs (postcards also available online)

Thank you for your support. Together we can get the Government to reverse their decision and reinstate the funding to this critical sector.

Regards,

Maryke Fordyce
President CLASS
(03) 332-7359
risingholme@xtra.co.nz