The National Government is still investing heavily in adult and community education, Education Minister Anne Tolley says. But in tough times, it has to look hard at its priorities.

The reduced funding for adult and community education courses in the Budget has raised community concerns and caused some critics to question the Government’s commitment to lifelong learning.

I hear and understand that concern only too well. I have taught and attended night classes myself, so I know first-hand how much they are valued by many thousands of New Zealanders.

My political opponents have portrayed my comments about some specific courses as belittling their value. They couldn’t be more wrong: I believe that any self-motivated participation in learning, whatever the subject, benefits the individual and, ultimately, society generally.

But the question must be: in tough economic times, how do we prioritise the learning that taxpayers pay for?

As Minister of Education, I fight hard for every extra dollar of education spend that I can get. This year’s Budget gave $300 million more to education, raising the total education spend to $10.8 billion a year. That's the highest annual figure ever, by any government – it’s a big win for education at a time of funding cuts across government.

But in reality, of course, that extra funding will be quickly used up by roll increases, school building programmes and the like. The previous government had the luxury of funding those demand-driven increases as well as adding new programmes. My Government is battling a recession, so we have to look deeper and focus on the things that matter most to New Zealand families.

Our education priorities are pretty hard to argue with. They include raising the literacy and numeracy achievement of young New Zealanders and increasing the number of students who leave the education system with qualifications. We want to fund high quality, relevant tertiary courses that create job opportunities and economic growth.

While we focus mainly on those things, I stress that we will also continue to invest heavily in adult and community education. There will be $124 million in government funding for adult and community education courses over the next four years – that’s about two-thirds the level of previous funding.

We have re-prioritised $67 million over four years into increased spending in other parts of education, like special education or skills training for the young unemployed. So the funding cut isn’t going into some other part of the government’s coffers – it stays within education, but will be used in other areas.

In an ideal world, the Government would continue to fund a broad range of courses. But I’m faced with demand to fund extra places for young people wanting skills training. Is it reasonable to deny them funding in favour of personal interest and hobby courses?

The Budget included $51 million in new funding for special education – this pays for teacher aids, specialist therapy, extra teacher time and related needs for children with severe disabilities. Again, should we spend less on these kids so we can fund hobby courses?

The Government's priority for the remaining $124 million in adult and community education funding will be for courses that offer the highest likelihood of helping participants go on to tertiary education or into the workforce - that is, literacy, numeracy and foundation skills. The Tertiary Education Commission is responsible for specific course funding decisions, and it will talk with course providers before making those decisions.

The removal of government funding for personal interest or hobby courses does not mean these courses have to end – course providers can continue to offer them on a user pays basis. Many of these courses can still be offered at relatively low cost to participants – it might be the difference between, say, $5 and $15 a class. That’s hardly prohibitive.

Some critics have asked how the Government can afford extra funding for independent schools while making cuts in areas like adult and community education. The implication is that we’re somehow encouraging elitism in schools – in fact, the opposite is true.

The extra Budget funding for independent schools aims to give more families the chance to send their children to these schools. I’ll be watching closely to ensure that the funding is used for its intended purpose of expanding independent school rolls, so giving parents a greater range of education choices.