Some of the planned changes to strengthen the country’s secondary school qualifications - NCEA - and make it fairer for all students are being delayed.
The reform is the biggest programme of work on NCEA since the qualification was introduced in 2002.
The Government announcement this afternoon is something educators have been calling for since Covid-19 lockdowns saw remote learning put in place for students, and meetings and preparation for the NCEA change programme put on the back burner.
Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced in Auckland that literacy and numeracy standard tests that will be a requirement for gaining a NCEA qualification will be introduced next year, but will no longer be compulsory until after 2025.
Instead, schools and kura can choose to introduce the tests or students will need to pass specific NCEA maths and literacy or equivalent te reo Māori subject standards.
The tests being introduced are the result of tertiary providers and workplaces giving feedback to the Ministry of Education during consultation that students were leaving school without the required maths and literacy abilities.
The new Level 2 of the NCEA qualification won’t be introduced until 2026, a year later than the previous schedule and Level 3 will be introduced in 2027, not 2026.
English, maths and te reo Māori equivalent subjects will still be introduced next year, but the rest of the curriculum won’t be compulsory to use until 2027, instead of 2026.
'Failing Kiwi kids'
National education spokesperson Erica Stanford said the delay "shows that Labour’s education policies are failing Kiwi kids".
"This delay is a panicked response from Labour as they finally wake up to how serious New Zealand’s declining education standards are," she said.
"The Government’s pilot of this assessment showed that 90 per cent of students in decile one schools would have failed, and therefore could not obtain any NCEA qualification. Labour has neglected the very students that need a great education to change their lives.
"Overall, more than half of New Zealand students involved in the pilot were unable to pass a foundational writing test the OECD says is necessary to succeed in further learning, life, and work."
She said National's education plan would see primary and intermediate students spending, on average, an hour a day on reading, writing and maths.
There would be regular, standardised assessment, and clear reporting to parents.
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