Varsity entry standard threatens overseas student market

1.00pm

Literacy standards needed to get into universities are threatening the lucrative overseas student market, an English language teachers' group says.

From this year, university entrants must have eight credits in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2 English -- four in reading, four in writing.

But the new standard is out of reach for most international students, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Aotearoa New Zealand (Tesolanz) spokeswoman Katherine Parker said today.

Tesolanz, formed in 1990, promotes the interests and needs of English language teachers and students

The standard was putting New Zealand's well-developed market for overseas students at risk because many may go to universities in other countries instead, Ms Parker said.

"We're going to lose it in the next year."

No student who has spent less than seven years in the country could achieve that, she told National Radio.

Standards of secondary school language courses were rising all the time.

"(But) If you are trying to look at what the level of writing required was for literacy (at university) we estimate it's really about level 8. And I don't know any university in the world that requires that."

The change came as part of the introduction of the NCEA, said vice chancellor of Lincoln University, Roger Field, who was involved with the Qualifications Authority in setting up the new standard.

"It's important to recognise that in establishing the standard some of the dominant thinking was about ensuring domestic students were appropriately prepared for university study.

"Clearly, if international students are taking the same qualification they are subject to the same standard," Professor Field said.

However, he said he had concerns about overseas students starting secondary education "too late" to achieve the standard.

Non-English speaking students starting at a New Zealand school in year 13 had little chance of success, he said.

He declined to comment on comparisons of university entry requirements in other English speaking countries because it would be "simplistic".

- NZPA