政府背弃竞选承诺，大砍 TAFE 专校人数

上週公佈数据显示，维州 TAFE 技校学生人数对比去年同期下降了 52,400 人。

TAFE 全名是 Technical and Further Education (技术教育学校) ，技校提供专业有价值的职业培训给高中毕业生，倘若毕业后不想升大学，技职学校就是个额外的选择。

2014 年前，工党承诺加强并改进 TAFE 技职学校制度，然则事实是，自工党得票当选，它就减少学生名额，也减少技职学校裡的员工人数。

令人讶异的是，即便工党政府更改维州车牌标语为 “Victoria- The Education State” (维州–教育之州) ，但维州学生却因政府换了位子就换了脑袋，违背选举承诺而身受其害。

英文版/English version

Election promise broken as government cut TAFE student numbers

Figures released last week show that the number of students studying at TAFEs in Victoria fell by 52,400 last year.

Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes provide valuable technical and vocational training for students leaving secondary school, as an alternative to university.

Before the 2014 election, the Labor Party promised it would strengthen and improve the TAFE system.  However, since elected, it has cut the number of places provided for students to attend TAFE and has also cut the numbers of staff at TAFE institutes.

It is appalling that while the Labor government changed Victorian car number plates say “Victoria – The Education State”, in fact Victorian students are suffering because of the government’s broken election promise.