If our NCEA results are rising at the rate that the minister of education would like us to believe, then why have we slipped so far down the OECD scale when we used to be at the top in the world with education results?
Who is telling the truth? Are the figures being fudged as we seem to be receiving conflicting reports? How many parents understand the NCEA system and how do they come to terms with it when they are informed by their offspring that it does not matter if they miss sitting an exam as the student, school and obviously the Ministry are happy with a mere in-school pass rate. As long as the statistics look good, what is the problem?
When students are able to choose easier options and can then obtain a pass without even sitting an exam, are the results ones of quantity at the expense of quality?
Because we know that some students freak out when sitting exams, the system of evaluation of assignments is ideal but surely the in-school and exam results should be combined to give a truer and more accurate result of how we compare with other nations.
Students will come up against pressure and challenges in the workforce and this would help prepare them. It is not just a matter of looking good for Hekia as the pass rate goes up, but rather, are our students being educated to a standard fit for the competitive workforce?
