Samoan NCEA Book Launched During Samoan Language Week

Media release 30 May 2012

Samoan NCEA Book Launched During Samoan Language Week

The Samoan translation of a book to help students and parents better understand NCEA has been launched during Samoan language week.

Malamalama i le NCEA was officially launched by the Minister of Education and Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Hekia Parata at Porirua College on Monday night. It is a Samoan translation of Understanding NCEA: A relatively short and very useful guide for secondary school students and their parents, which was published by NZCER Press in 2011.

The Minister said the book was a taonga worthy of celebration during Samoan language week. It provided students and families with accessible information and help with navigating the qualifications system.

The book was written by Dr Irena Madjar and Professor Elizabeth McKinley of the Starpath Project at the University of Auckland. The translation was done by Faimai Pisu Tuimauga. “We quickly learned that we needed to be able to talk to parents in their own language if we are to have an impact on student achievement,” Professor McKinley said. “We chose to translate the resource into Samoan language as it is the third most commonly spoken language in New Zealand and second most common in Auckland.”

The book aims to guide students and their families through the complexities and flexibility of NCEA, as well as help them avoid any potential pitfalls and plan a course of study. It will help families work out what questions they need to ask of their children’s school as they progress through NCEA. The book features stories of students keen to pursue different pathways, such as university study or an apprenticeship. These draw on the real experiences of students interviewed by the authors.

New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) director Robyn Baker says the organisation is looking for partners to help fund the printing and distribution of large numbers of the book so that it can be provided free of charge to Samoan families. The book is available from NZCER at www.nzcer.org.nz

ENDS

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