Seymour supports principals' call

Epsom MP and ACT Leader David Seymour is strongly supporting the coalition of principals questioning Education Minister Chris Hipkins’ NCEA Review after 40 principals representing 45,000 students signed an open letter to the Minister in today’s national papers.

“Principals from six out of seven major secondary schools in the Epsom Electorate, including State, Integrated and Independent Schools, have joined forces, calling Mr Hipkins' NCEA Review a ‘fraught process.’ As the MP for Epsom, I strongly support our principals.

“However the breadth of support cannot be understated. Principals from every corner of Auckland, from Massey in the West and Macleans in the East, to Vanguard in the North and Southern Cross Campus in the South are all saying the same thing: this review cannot serve the best interests of New Zealand’s students.

“This represents a major challenge for Education Minister Chris Hipkins. How will he respond? Hipkins wants to say he is genuinely and constructively consulting New Zealanders about the future of the NCEA, but how can so many principals feel so left out that they must take to buying advertising to be heard?

“The only proper response for Hipkins is to halt the review. If he is not prepared to do that, then he must modify it to incorporate the principals’ requests, consult them directly, focus on curriculum first, then review the administration of the NCEA. If he won’t do that, it will be difficult to see Hipkins’ education consultations as anything more than insincerely manufacturing consent for a predetermined agenda.

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