Ncea Bill Will Protect “Gold Plated” Bursary Exam

Donna Awatere Huata today welcomed the first reading of her private members’ NCEA Moratorium Bill last night in the House.

“My Bill gives time to fully review and evaluate the extent to which the NCEA framework is working over a period of time. It gives everyone including, teachers, students and parents, a chance to ascertain whether the problems and anomalies with the NCEA can be ironed out or whether the framework needs to be fundamentally revisited.

“Concerns raised by other parties that the Bill would see the rejection of level 2 of the NCEA and a return to Sixth Form Certificate are unfounded. I intend to introduce an amendment that solely concerns itself with a moratorium at the bursary level.

“I could accept the NCEA if there were credible research to support its implementation. A small pilot was held, but no quantifiable outcomes were defined upfront, no analysis was undertaken, and no research reviewed and published.

“I can live with the loss of School Certificate and Sixth Form Certificate, but Bursary is another matter. Bursary is gold-plated. It is held in high regard by employers and tertiary institutions and is internationally recognised and respected.

“We must protect it at all costs”, Mrs Awatere Huata said.

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