Education Minster Erica Stanford says she has just finished a thorough consultation process on proposed NCEA changes. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
The education minister has come under fire from a former school principal and New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) executive, who claims sector reforms will unleash a "tsunami of work",
In an open letter, former NZQA deputy chief executive Bali Haque says Education Minister Erica Stanford has manufactured an education crisis.
He says while NCEA is imperfect, it should not scrapped.
The government plans to overhaul the secondary qualification system - replacing NCEA Level 1 with foundation literacy and numeracy tests, and Levels 2 and 3 with a Certificate of Education and an Advanced Certificate. Marking would be out of 100, and grades range from A to E.
The government is also keen for students to have greater opportunities to pursue academic or vocational pathways.
Stanford said she had just finished a thorough and valuable public consultation process on proposed NCEA changes.
"I will take the views expressed by Bali Haque into consideration, along with the useful feedback from the submissions and engagement from throughout the country.
"There will always be differing views on the best path forward and we don't expect universal agreement. We are committed to delivering a world-leading education system will help ensure that every child in New Zealand has the opportunity to thrive.
"The proposed changes are driven by a shared goal - to lift educational outcomes for all learners, and help those under served by the current system.
"I remain committed to working with educators, schools, and communities, and to providing them ongoing support. We are working to make important and meaningful changes through ambitious reforms in a timely and considered way," she said.
Haque - who is also a former secondary school principal - told Morning Report that abandoning the NCEA system was a "gross over-reaction" and accused the minister of "manufacturing a crisis".
He maintained the timeline for implementation would be a "nightmare" and said he was not convinced the education minister understood the "tsunami of work" about to hit the sector.
"What we should be doing is a careful improvement plan, which includes teachers and the sector in getting where we want to."
Bali Haque. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen
He said the system was not perfect, but the assertion that it was failing students was not backed by data, and dismissed the idea that parents did not understand it as "absolutely nuts".
"NCEA is internationally recognised and many students with NCEA are welcomed by universities around the world, including the most prestigious ones," he wrote.
"Our NCEA graduates overwhelmingly also do well in our own tertiary institutions and workplaces."
Haque said consistency across schools was an issue that needed to be addressed, but said there was no evidence that students were "gaming the system".
In response to questions about New Zealand's global slide in numeracy and literacy levels , Haque said NCEA was not the issue.
He said while the country's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results did show falling scores for 15-year-olds in maths, science, and reading, most students at that age were not sitting NCEA.
"So to use that data as an explanation for deficiencies of NCEA is a best, misleading, and at worst an attempt to misconstrue the truth."
In his letter, he asserted it was better to address numeracy and literacy in primary, rather than secondary school.
Claire Eden from the Education Ministry said in a statement the changes to introduce a subject-specific, knowledge-rich curriculum were designed to make sure all students receive coherent, high-quality learning that prepared them for further study, training and employment.
"We will be working closely with schools, kura, and the wider sector to support implementation, and recognise a well-supported and carefully implemented transition is essential. The sector's expertise will be vital throughout this process.
"This is a shared commitment to lifting outcomes for all learners."
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