8. KATHERINE RICH (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Does he have full confidence in NCEA to deliver a fair, robust, and reliable qualification for New Zealand students; if so, why?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Yes, I have confidence in the ability of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Ministry of Education to deliver a fair, robust, and reliable National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualification. Reviews in 2005 set out 191 recommendations to improve the system. Agencies have already implemented 168 recommendations, giving priority to the urgent operational issues. As a result, the 2006 assessment process was smooth and transparent. We are now working through the final recommendations, and further refinements to the design of NCEA will be put in place this year.
Why is the Minister so confident, when the Prime Minister has said on radio that she is “at somewhat of a loss” and “a little mystified as to why some of [NCEA’s] outstanding matters haven’t been dealt with.”, before now—including some matters that she believed had been agreed to by the Government 2 years ago but that had still not been implemented?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
As I said to the New Zealand Herald, where the member has got that report from, I think the Prime Minister represents the justifiable urgency we feel to make sure that these recommendations are put in place, and that is what will be happening this year.
Hon Dr Nick SmithHon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I should mention to Mr Nick Smith, who is yelling across the House again, that if he goes to the State Services Commission report he will see that the State Services Commission recommended this as a 5-year change plan, so we are doing OK, but, of course, as the Prime Minister suggests, we need to move urgently.
Hon Marian HobbsHon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
NCEA provides a standards-based assessment that is fit for the needs of students in this century. For example, it gives students more varied opportunities to learn. It provides students of all abilities with the scope to show what they can do. It recognises achievement using a range of assessment methods. It reports meaningful information about students’ actual abilities, and they can take those to a future institution or to an employer. That is why the vast majority of educators and employers agree that we are headed in the right direction, as reported in the State Services Commission report in 2005. It wants us to focus on continuous improvement to New Zealand’s national qualification. Meanwhile, I believe that the National Party’s continued calls to return to the old style of assessment are not worth considering.
Hon Brian Donnelly Link to this
In the Minister’s considerations of possible changes to NCEA, to which of the following is the Minister giving serious consideration: the removal of unit standards from NCEA credits; improvement of the moderation of internal assessment; acknowledgment of “not achieved”; or provision of additional credits for merit and excellence awards?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
The agenda for change in NCEA has been set largely by the State Services Commission report that I mentioned before. As I have said in the House and on a number of occasions, I am looking forward to working through the remainder of those recommendations during the year, and I am certainly looking forward to the input from that member.
If the Prime Minister is surprised, “mystified”, and “at somewhat of a loss” to explain why changes to NCEA have not been implemented, that is not a ringing endorsement of his ministerial leadership is it?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I am sure that if the Prime Minister were asked the question that the member raises she would say that, yes, I am a hard-working and conscientious member. I say to the member that I share the Prime Minister’s view that there is a need to move as rapidly as we possibly can on NCEA to ensure that we have all of the recommendations in place, and that is what we are going to do.
In that case, is the Minister implying that the Prime Minister wading into his portfolio and saying that she is surprised, mystified, and at somewhat of a loss to explain the lack of progress with NCEA is a good thing—it is not a good look, is it?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I have to say that the Prime Minister is always a good look in all portfolios.
Has the Prime Minister discussed her concerns about NCEA with him personally, in particular asking him for an explanation as to why changes that she thought were agreed to 2 years ago by the Government have not been implemented?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
As the Prime Minister pointed out earlier today, unlike the National Party we are a very collaborative, open, talk-to-each-other kind of party. We are constantly consulting and working back and forwards. I can assure the member that the Prime Minister has discussed with all Ministers aspects of their portfolio, and she certainly discusses those things with me.
When the Prime Minister says that the Government agreed 2 years ago to returning a record of failure to a student’s record of learning and says she is “somewhat at a loss” as to why that has not happened, why did he not do it?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
At the risk of tedious repetition, which I think is in the Standing Orders, I say to the member once again that in 2005 we had 190-plus recommendations, of which 161 have been done. As I mentioned before, the focus initially has been on operations running smoothly, and that has, of course, happened. We have had some design changes in, and we are about to embark on the remaining ones.
Hon Brian Donnelly Link to this
What does the Minister believe would have been the consequences if the original programme for the introduction of NCEA, as established by the previous National Government, had been followed?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
All I can say is that given the total and utter disaster of 9 long years of a National Government, it would have been another disaster.
Why does the Minister not understand that he will get tedious repetition of the same question when he does not answer it; and why does he not answer the question, which is that if the Prime Minister thinks that 2 years ago recording failure was agreed to by her Government, why did he not implement that?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I am really sorry to have to repeat my answer again to the member, but I have to have to take her back through what we have been doing. From 2005, of 191 recommendations 161 or so are done. First of all, as a priority, we have introduced the operations part of what we have been doing. That is running pretty well, I think we would all agree. We have done similar design changes and we are about to move on the others. I think the Prime Minister—I say once again—is quite rightly saying that we need to move with urgency.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. My question was pretty specific. It asked the Minister why he had not implemented a specific decision that the Prime Minister thought had been made. The Minister went on to make a whole bunch of amorphous statements about the wider process that is being undertaken. In my view, he made no attempt to address the question. It was just a load of blather and a lot of words.
Madam SPEAKER