New report shows parents have little confidence in the NCEA

A new report released today, shows that less than one third of parents (31%) have confidence in the value of the NCEA and less than one third of parents (27%) think the NCEA provides a clear measure of a pupil’s abilities. 79% of parents believe schools should be free to offer alternative examinations, such as the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge A-Levels, if they choose to do so.

The report by Maxim Institute, The Parent Factor: Freedom for Schools, is the first in a series presenting the results of independent quantitative research carried out by Colmar Brunton in 2004, involving over one thousand parents from throughout New Zealand.

Maxim Institute Policy Manager, Nicki Taylor, says the findings confirm that the current situation regarding examinations and qualifications is not what parents want.

“Confidence in the NCEA is unacceptably low; parents think schools should be free to offer alternatives to the NCEA yet the Ministry does not encourage schools to offer these alternatives. Even worse, the Ministry makes it very difficult for schools to do this”, says Mrs Taylor.

All schools must offer a “nationally recognised” qualification system. The NZQA has decided that the NCEA is such a qualification, and that alternatives such as the Cambridge A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate are not. Schools also face financial burdens if they offer alternatives to the NCEA.

Maxim Institute commissioned Colmar Brunton to undertake the quantitative research in 2004. 1001 parents were interviewed. The data was weighted to census targets for location and ethnicity. The margin of error for the survey is +/- 3% at a 95% confidence level.

Maxim Institute can provide a breakdown of data by region, sex, ethnicity and other variables upon request.

The full report and a summary of the report are available on request or from Maxim’s website from Monday on www.maxim.org.nz/parentfactor.

ENDS

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