Education biased against vital industries

NZ's education system is letting the country down because it diverts the best students away from our core industries, says Federated Farmers. "˜Our education service definitely isn't geared to building the NZ economy,' warns Feds vice president Frank Brenmuhl, a speaker at the recent Ag and Hort Teachers' Conference in Wellington. The problem is a lot of teachers and advisers are prejudiced against agriculture as a career, he says. "˜We are treated much the same as cleaners and waste disposal operators. Necessary, but grubby and you can do better with your life, especially if you have a modicum of intelligence, in which case a tertiary education in arts, culture, political science or information technology is your proper option.' This prejudice in schools runs contrary to public opinion reports The Rural News. Even at the height of Fish & Game's dirty dairy campaign, a DairyNZ survey showed 80% of New Zealanders were positively disposed towards dairying and its value to the NZ economy. "˜The negative public perception is more myth than reality.' Income prospects also point to farming as a good bet, a recent Feds / Rabobank survey showing farm workers average over $2000 more than their non-farm counterparts, he points out. "˜I have personally seen many examples of young people aged between 20 and 24 who are receiving salary packages in excess of $70,000 per year. Good farm managers are paid well for good results because it is good business.' Yet just 355 students enrolled in university agriculture and environment courses in 2006, compared to 2153 in creative arts and 5949 in society and culture subjects. "˜As a nation, this states that we currently value media studies, political studies, religious studies, gender studies and dance more than agriculture and horticulture,' Brenmuhl says "˜For NZ, a country that produces food and fibre more efficiently than any other nation in the world, those are devastating statistics.'