NCEA Survey Proves Parents Want Choice

Tuesday 12 Oct 2004

Deborah Coddington - Press Releases - Education

When is Education Minister Trevor Mallard going to wake up to the fact that the NCEA is definitely not the "triumph" he claims it to be? ACT New Zealand Education Spokesman Deborah Coddington said today.

"Yet more evidence has arrived, in the form of a Colmar Brunton survey conducted among 1,780 parents, that shows many parents want choice," Miss Coddington said.

"The survey revealed parents are struggling to understand NCEA results, and want schools to offer a mix of New Zealand and international qualifications.

"This reinforces what ACT has been saying for years - that we should trust parents to plan for their children's future, not allow an ideologically driven Education Minister to force a 'one-size-fits-all' standards based assessment system on other people's children.

"Some of the results from this survey are alarming. For instance, one third of parents thought the NCEA was worse than previous school qualifications, and only 19 percent thought it was better. Only 16 percent thought the NCEA would improve their children's job prospects.

"This is a disgraceful state of affairs. Mr Mallard should at least allow schools the ability to dump the NCEA if they wish.

"ACT believes in choice. We would give parents and schools the option of returning to external and national exams which would raise education standards and better equip young New Zealanders for the world stage," Miss Coddington said.

ENDS

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