Maisiri says that the proposed changes could be used to exclude students in marginalised communities. Photo: 123rf
The end of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has many in the Pacific education community concerned, as Pasifika achievement continues to lag behind the general population.
The NCEA will be gone by 2030, after more than 20 years as New Zealand's official secondary-school qualification.
In its place will be a more streamlined system, with marks out of 100, letter grades from A to E, and a requirement to study at least five complete subjects.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said that the changes would make study more consistent and in line with the skills and knowledge that society most values.
However, Post-Primary Teachers'Association's Pasifika representative Angela Maisiri told RNZ Pacific that the proposed changes could be used to exclude students in marginalised communities.
"We are concerned that the proposed changes to the secondary school qualifications signal a shift toward a narrowed, standardised, and monocultural approach to curriculum and assessment.
"This shift could undermine the aspirations and achievement of Pasifika students and their communities."
Meanwhile, Ōtāhuhu High School principal Neil Watson, whose school has a large Pasifika population, was happy to see NCEA put to rest.
Watson said that in its 20-year history, NCEA had never worked for Pasifika students, as evidenced by lagging achievement rates.
"I think it's a myth that NCEA has benefited Pacific, Māori or low socio-economic students. If it has, why hasn't that gap been closed?"
Watson believes that the most important thing when it comes to boosting Pasifika achievement is improving teaching quality. To that end, he said that his staff are optimistic about the changes.
"We've all had experiences of our own when we were in school, when we had those fantastic teachers that have inspired us to go on to do what we do in our careers... we need to get more people into teaching that can light the fire."
"It's been foreshadowed for a while."
Maisiri said the increased emphasis on external assessments, as well as the hardened english-maths requirements in Year 11, could risk strengthening inequality without measures to accommodate unique cultural needs.
"There is a continuing absence of Pasifika perspectives, values, and languages within most assessment frameworks and subject content."
"Pasifika learners bring knowledge, resilience, service, and creativity. Our assessment system must uplift these strengths, not suppress them."
The Ministry of Education told RNZ Pacific that the upcoming consultation period will provide the Pacific education community a chance to outline how the changes would impact them.
It also confirmed that Niue, the Cook Islands and Tokelau - all of which used NCEA - were consulted on the changes before the announcement.
