Unpaid exam fees stall students

One in 10 high school students won’t be able to collect their exam certificates even if they pass, because they haven’t paid the fees.

More than 14,500 students had not paid the NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) fee by the December 1 deadline, almost 2000 more than last year.

Post-Primary Teachers Association president Jack Boyle said it was ‘‘completely unjustified’’ that some students wouldn’t be recognised for their work.

‘‘You don’t end up with that award, and you’ve worked just as hard as somebody down the road who can afford to pay the examination fee? That’s unfair.’’

Schooling in New Zealand was becoming ‘‘increasingly unaffordable’’, he said, and it was an ‘‘equity issue’’.

‘‘If education is free, then education should be free.’’

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) charges an annual fee of $76.60 a student to enter NCEA.

This can be reduced to $20 a student or $30 a family for children of beneficiaries, Community Services Card holders and families where the NCEA fees exceed $200, but families must apply for financial assistance before September 1. One in seven students got financial assistance in 2018.

Results will be released online on January 15. If the fee is not paid, students will be able to view their results but will not be awarded the qualification.

New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Whetu Cormick agreed it was ‘‘unfair’’ that some students were excluded from attaining certificates because they couldn’t afford the fees.

‘‘The system needs to take a closer look around how we can address these inequities,’’ he said.

Scrapping exam fees was one of the key recommendations to come out of this year’s NCEA review. Thousands of people contributed to the research, with ‘‘overwhelming support’’ for a ‘‘nil fees’’ approach.

The proposals are being considered by the Ministry of Education in consultation with education professionals. Education Minister Chris Hipkins will take recommendations to Cabinet to improve NCEA in April.

Boyle said he hoped support for scrapping fees would mean the students who missed out this year would be the last – but with any changes not due to phased in until 2020/21, more students may yet find themselves in the same situation.

In August, international advocacy group Human Rights Watch called on the Government to get rid of qualification fees.

The extra costs adversely affected students’ ability to access a free education, and placed those who could not pay at a disadvantage to their peers, the group said in a submission to the Government’s NCEA review. Human Rights Watch spoke with 33 secondary schools in rural and urban areas across the country, ranging from deciles 1 to 8.

‘‘If education is free, then education should be free.’’ Jack Boyle, PPTA president