Principals want NCEA review extended

Education Minister Chris Hipkins says four months is long enough for a review of NCEA but is open to extending it in the wake of an open protest letter by 40 Auckland secondary school principals.

The principals want the review to be reviewed.

“We think that is a reasonably good consultation period time,” Hipkins told reporters at Parliament yesterday. “If at the end of that people are still saying ‘hey, we don’t feel like we’ve had the chance to have our voices heard’, then we are certainly open to discussing that further.

“We don’t want to rush this. We do want to make sure that everybody who has got a view has the opportunity to participate in the process.”

He made his comments after a fullpage ad in the Herald on Sunday gave him a “Fail” on the NCEA review.

“Too rushed Minister Hipkins,” the ad said. “Not enough thought. Must do better for our young people.” The principals said they were not opposed to the review, and in fact believed it was necessary for improvements.

“But the review is flawed and we will not stand idle on the sidelines watching a fraught process pass us by,” the ad read.

They said there had been a lack of process with secondary school principals.

Those with experience in the sector should have been asked directly for feedback.

Students aged 5 to 18 had been targeted to enter competitions to “express themselves”, with prizes valued at more than $27,000, they said.

“We suggest that those with experience in the sector (teachers and principals) should have been asked directly for feedback.

“We are the guardians of young people’s secondary school education and believe our input is essential.”

Hipkins said the review was not just about principals and the review panel had to involve everybody in it.

“We want to hear from principals and we want to hear from young people. I do disagree with the principals’ view that the voices of young people are not important in this process. Ultimately, it is their futures we are talking about.”

Hipkins said the principals’ reference in the ad to the contribution of young voices could be read different ways.

He said he had been “a little disappointed” when he saw the open protest letter in the paper but they would be given ample opportunity to be fully engaged with the process.

“This is not a pre-determined review. We’ve basically put some big ideas out there. That was done by an independent review panel. The Government has not made any decisions about what the future of the NCEA might look like.”

Hipkins said some of the names on the open letter were not a surprise.

“Their views on NCEA are well known — they are much more traditional in their thinking. We do want to hear from them but also want to hear from people with different views.”

Massey High School principal Glen Denham, a coalition spokesman, said the group was born out of frustration.

“The process is wrong, the minister is bulldozing this through and it is our young people who will pay the ultimate price. The timeframe is too short,” Denham said. “Five weeks of the process has passed, and still principals have not been consulted, rather they have been asked to act as ambassadors for a proposal they have had no input into.”

The advertisement said two things must happen: Fix the teacher supply and establish a consensus on the curriculum.

“With teacher supply secured and a curriculum in place, we would have a sound foundation to improve the existing NCEA assessment system. The starting point should be direct consultation with secondary school principals.”

Principals’ full-page advert