Student representatives are treating today's release of newly compiled performance data on tertiary institutions with caution, highlighting the brevity of information and significant gaps in the data provided.

"We note the Government's intention in providing more information to students and improving accountability of tertiary institutions for public funding, and believe that these are appropriate expectations of the sector," said Pene Delaney, Co-President of the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA). "However we know that students use many different sources and consider many different factors when making decisions about where to study, and the statistics released today only provide a very small part of the picture, and are therefore not as useful as they potentially could be," added Delaney.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has today released for the first time performance data on tertiary institutions, publishing institution and sub-sector information on course completions, qualification completions, progression and retention of students.

"We are concerned that these are simply statistics without context, and that the stories behind the numbers aren't being told. In future, the TEC should go further in pulling information together. Currently it is very fragmented, and they need to make it more useful than just simple numbers, which don't paint a full picture." said Delaney.

"Ranking in this manner doesn't reflect what students can expect at a tertiary institution, as the numbers don't demonstrate the whole picture. There is no reference to quality of teaching and learning, or to student satisfaction. The release of this information today should therefore only be considered a first step," concluded Delaney.

NZUSA is the national representative body for tertiary students and has been advocating on student issues since 1929.