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

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