School-leavers—Qualifications

How long was the member deputy leader? I cannot remember.

Would the Minister please answer the question.

I will start again. Under NCEA students leave school with a Record of Learning, which shows how many credits they have attained. Students who gain 13 or fewer credits at any level are recorded as having little or no attainment. This figure was 13 percent for 2005. Above that, we record what students have attained. For example, in 2005, 67 percent of school-leavers achieved beyond level 1 in NCEA. As much as it is possible to make a direct comparison, in 1984, 43 percent of students left school with School Certificate.

Why did the Minister issue figures last week claiming that only 13 percent of students leave school without a qualification—with his definition of a qualification being students who earn 13 or more NCEA credits—when, in fact, students need 80 credits to gain even the most basic school qualification, being NCEA level 1; and were not his claims misleading?

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As I understand it, last week the Ministry of Education released information on attainment at school. I thought it might be useful to explain to the member that under NCEA students get a record of attainment—that is, the number of credits are stacked up, and they are on their Record of Learning. Under NCEA they do not get a qualification like School Certificate; they get a Record of Learning .

What improvements were evident in the 2005 school-leaver statistics?

The figures show students are attaining higher levels of achievement. A third of students are leaving school now with a university entrance qualification in the sense that they have the number of credits needed to go to university. More are staying until year 13. As I said before, 67 percent of school-leavers are achieving beyond level 1, which is great. One of the good advantages of NCEA is that those leaving with partial attainment, or lower levels of attainment, can use those credits to build a qualification through, for example, an apprenticeship or polytechnic course, because their Record of Learning shows what they have achieved.

Can the Minister confirm that the true picture is this: 27 percent, or over 16,000 school-leavers each year, leave school with no formal qualification because they did not achieve NCEA level 1; and why did he issue figures showing quite a different picture?

No, I cannot say that. What I have to say to the member is that the way in which NCEA works is that students get a Record of Learning of what they attain. That is what they get. The member is stuck in the 1990s. I know that he favours School Certificate, but that is not how it works any more.

Why does the Minister continue to try to hide failure by removing from students’ Record of Learning any record of failure, and by now counting as students with a qualification students who achieved one-sixth—that is, 13—of the 80 credits required to get any kind of formal qualification; and does he not think that it misleads students to tell them that if they get 13 level 1 credits, they have any choice at all in life?

What students get is an accurate record of what they attain. For example, if they get 13 credits, they are told that they have achieved little or nothing. Above that, they are told what they achieve. I know that the member would like to have School Certificate back, but this system tells students what they get, rather than being the kind of pass/fail system we had before. And, no, I do not hide failure; I constantly tell people about the National Party.

That was not necessary.

Why is the Minister telling the public of New Zealand that 16-year-old students with 13 level 1 credits, which is less than someone can get from one weekend’s outdoor education, have a school qualification, when they need 80 credits to get a school qualification—and why does the Minister not sit down until the question has been asked?

Well—

Hon Member

Well, we thought it had finished.

Point of order—

Yes, I agree. Some of the questions get longer, as some of the answers do. Would the member please ask the question.

I will ask the short version, OK. Why is the Minister telling the New Zealand public that—even though students need 80 credits to get the most basic school qualification—if students get 13 credits, they have a qualification?