Wednesday 26 Jun 2002

ACT Education Spokesman MP Donna Awatere Huata today congratulated the principal of Carey Baptist College for rejecting the NCEA.

"Michael Drake has acted in the best interests of his children by rejecting NCEA for an international certificate from Cambridge University

"Sadly, every other New Zealand school child still faces the unfair, fraudulent NCEA. This qualification discourages bright children with bureaucrat-inspired, nit-picking assessments, and rewards mediocrity by letting kids try the same test over and over.

"The backlash from teachers, parents, principals and students is overwhelming. Many schools are looking at the Cambridge qualifications - Carey Baptist school is just the first to make this brave move.

"The NCEA is a ridiculous qualification which ACT will eliminate. We need to introduce international-level qualifications if we want our children to compete in an international environment," Mrs Awatere Huata said.

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