Government targets put ahead of students’ education

new-zealand-labour-party

Tue Aug 25 2015 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Government targets put ahead of students’ education

Tuesday, 25 August 2015, 4:27 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Chris
Hipkins
Education Spokesperson

Government targets put ahead of students’ education

The Government must urgently reassess the way it sets NCEA targets after a new report found they are forcing schools to “credit farm” and are undermining the qualification, Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“A PPTA report released today says National’s 85 per cent pass target for NCEA Level 2 puts pressure on students to get as many credits as possible without considering the quality of the courses they study or their wider learning goals.

“This report also found that unnecessary result moderation is producing excessive paperwork for teachers – taking their precious time away from teaching.

“Rather than obsess about statistics, the Government should be focussed on ensuring every school student is engaged in meaningful learning that will lead them to more opportunities.

“Kids are completing NCEA Level 2 qualifications and still finding themselves unemployed at the end of it.

“Hekia Parata must take a good hard look at the results of her targets. There is no point having an 85 per cent pass rate if the means to achieve it are undermining the entire qualification,” Chris Hipkins says.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.