The Prime Minister is doing the 'big sell” for more foreign students to prop up under-funded public education and private education businesses, says New Zealand First.

'Unsuspecting students from overseas are being used.

'Prime Minister John Key met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington and couldn't help himself marketing the overseas student scheme to Mr Modi,” says New Zealand First Leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters.

'The big carrot Mr Key dangled before the Indian prime minister was the government's policy of allowing foreign students to work 20 hours a week in New Zealand. The government admitted in Parliament this week that it extended work hours for the students as a marketing tool and it is proving to be an attraction.

'Mr Modi said he wanted more Indian students in New Zealand and suggested Mr Key and the government increase marketing in Indian universities.

'The National government is shamefully refusing to fund education adequately, with the result our universities and secondary schools are desperate for cash and must look for foreign fee paying students.

'At the same time National has bowed to lobbying from the private education sector, where much money is being made out of foreign students.

'Last year there were 66,702 foreign students given work visas while we have 70,000 young New Zealanders unable to get a job.

'It's time to start working to get young New Zealanders into jobs and stop flogging off overseas student work visas as an incentive to get them to come to New Zealand,” says Mr Peters.

'New Zealand First supports foreign student education providing fees are paid from their country of origin, which is what export education is meant to be about. That is, another economy paying the New Zealand economy to educate that other economy's students.

'What we have is a serious perversion of the purpose of the export education, at an enormous disadvantage to New Zealand workers trying to get jobs.

'Students and parents need to wake up to just how grossly unfair this is for young New Zealanders.”