Ogilvy Bernie: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Ogilvy Bernie: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:615;Page:10828] 
BERNIE OGILVY (United Future) 
: 
 United Future states once again today that there is a clear demand for character education in this country. Character education is really about universal values such as honesty respect for others and the law tolerance—as others have said—fairness caring and social responsibility and about building these things into a school’s culture. We have noticed as children go back to school that integrated schools for instance are turning students away. Parents want character education for their children and do not seem to be able to get it from their local State schools. It is time the Government delivered on that need rather than simply pay lip service to it. 
The 1993 curriculum framework clearly states that attitudes and values should go hand in hand in the curriculum with knowledge and skills but that is not happening. Integrated schools tend to have an emphasis on values standards and character that parents realise they cannot get for their children elsewhere. As a result they want their children at those schools—not necessarily for religious reasons as the  
New Zealand Herald 
 rightly pointed out just recently but for the values that underpin the schools’ philosophies. What they are really after is as I call it character education. They have that deep belief that we need to instil positive values in young people who in turn become contributing citizens with their own families in their own neighbourhoods. In the end this is about ensuring that our children receive an education of substance not just job skills and knowledge. 
United Future calls also for tertiary students to be given a fair go. Student debt we all know negatively impacts on growing healthy families in this country of New Zealand. The Government has to give students and their parents a financial break I believe and stop treating people in their mid-20s as children for student allowance purposes. I have noticed that young people can be on the dole at the age of 18 whether their parents are paupers or millionaires but when those young people are students the Government has decided that their student allowances up and until the age of 25 are based on their parents’ income. We see that as a gross injustice. The Government ought surely to be encouraging learning—with students thereby obtaining employment because that is their goal through learning—rather than continuing today’s dole policies that encourage hopelessness for students’ futures. Let us start I suggest by testing students on their own income instead of their parents’ income and we could start at age 20. It is time to end the fiction that until 25 one is dependent on one’s parents as that is simply ridiculous in reality. 
That is just another example of how those who try to achieve have had obstacles placed in their way. For those students under 20 the level of the relevant parental income should be increased to reflect increases in the cost of living as those figures by the way were set way back in 1992. Apparently the level of parental income at that stage was set at $28000 before there was abatement in round figures to $50000. Based on the consumer price index spending power of those 1992 figures the levels should move from $28000 to $34000 and from $50000 by another $12000 right up to $62000 and surely that increase would be a base for a great benefit for all students. 
The best way I think to attack the debilitating level of student debt being incurred by a whole generation of young people around us is to lower their costs. Fixing up the student allowance system I believe is a good starting point. United Future will address the injustices of student debt and introduce character education into all our schools as direct measures to help support families in our great country of New Zealand.