KEY POINTS:
Educational leaders gave Helen Clark's plans a lukewarm reception.
Secondary Principals' Association president Peter Gall said the big concern over Miss Clark's plan was adequate resourcing.
Mr Gall said specialist classes at schools needed specialised staff and often class sizes were small.
"If students are expected to stay on longer in formal education settings then you need to be able to provide the sorts of courses and programmes that are going to keep them engaged in their school work," said Mr Gall.
"The costs and how it's going to be resourced will be the key to things."
He said the Government plan would also need to allow for exceptions, such as teenagers who wanted to go into the family business.
"There could be some situations where school or a formal education setting just isn't the right fit for a particular young person."
Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics New Zealand executive director Dave Guerin said the Government's direction was positive but focused on improving schools rather than developing the alternatives.
"It does not address any of the financial barriers facing students if they move from free education at school to subsidised education, with fees, at [institutes of technology or polytechnics]," he said.
Manukau Institute of Technology external relations executive director Dr Stuart Middleton said Labour's planned youth apprenticeships was a good alternative for students who were not achieving but it did not seem to deal with teenagers who were dropping out early.
He said the education policies announced by Helen Clark and Mr Key were strikingly similar.
But while Mr Key's plan to extend free education for two more years was "simple" and "clear", Miss Clark's was more of a "work in progress".
Dr Middleton said the Labour scheme required a range of policies to be introduced to reach the goal of having all young people in education or training until 18.
