More Schools Should Copy Waikato and Reject NCEA

Saturday 12th May 2001 Donna Awatere Huata Media Release -- Education

ACT Education Spokesman MP Donna Awatere Huata today called on all principals to join Waikato's top secondary institutions and snub the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).

"I commend the principals of Hamilton Boys' High School, Hillcrest High School, St Paul's Collegiate, St Peters High School of Cambridge and Waikato Diocesan School for their bravery in standing up for their pupils and rejecting the NCEA.

"These schools hope to join Auckland Grammar and offer Cambridge University's international A level and IGCSEs (formerly O levels) in core subjects.

"So far 24 schools have expressed interest in providing this qualification. The rest of New Zealand's principals need to follow suit and reject the NCEA. Otherwise, we will end up with an utterly unfair system with kids whose schools only offer the NCEA left behind.

"The problems of the NCEA are going to be compounded by racist, elitist zoning restrictions. The schools rejecting the NCEA in Hamilton are wealthy, high-decile schools. Kids at Hamilton's poorer schools are going to suffer by not having the opportunity to receive an internationally recognised qualification.

"The Government needs to listen to principals whose main concern is the education of their students, and start righting the wrongs," Donna Awatere Huata said.

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

© Scoop Media