8. KATHERINE RICH (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Why have graduation rates at upper secondary school level decreased from 80 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2005, when over the same period the OECD average has increased from 76 percent to 82 percent?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) Link to this
The main reason is that we have changed the basis for recording graduation rates from participation to qualifications attained. I also point out to the member that the same report also states that the proportion of New Zealanders attaining at least upper secondary education is consistently about 10 percentage points above the OECD average. Our own data would reinforce that kind of gain, because it shows that the number of students leaving school with little or no formal attainment halved between 1999 and 2006, and the number of students achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2 increased from 57 percent to 63 percent between 2004 and 2006.
Is the Minister saying that New Zealand has changed the way we now count these students; if so, why has there been a steady decline over a period of years in the number of students finishing high school, because surely we have not been changing the way we count those students every year?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
Yes. I confirm for the member that one of the things we have done is change from recording the number of people participating to recording the qualifications they gain, which is, clearly, a much more robust way of doing it. I also point out that one of the problems with the OECD report is that not everybody records the same kind of data towards the end of students’ schooling. For example, NCEA is a form of standards-based assessment; that is not the case in all countries. I also mention that countries like the UK and Australia were not even included in the data for this particular area. So comparisons are quite difficult to make, but we do know that within our own system we are seeing increasing numbers of people gain qualifications, stay on longer in school, and attain higher levels of qualifications.
H V Ross Robertson Link to this
Does the Minister have any suggestions about how we could encourage students to stay at school longer, and thereby provide a pathway to employment?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
Yes. At the present time we are doing a wide range of things, like reducing leaving exemptions, suspensions, exclusions, and truancy. We are supporting a successful transition through further education through Gateway, the Youth Transitions Service, and the Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource, otherwise known as STAR; more second-chance opportunities through alternative education and things like the teen parent units; more information for parents and communities through things like Te Mana and Team-Up; and a range of improvements like Te Kōtahitanga, new assessment practises, and new teaching practises, all of which are aimed at giving a more diverse education system. I contrast that with a report I saw very recently that suggested that the way to cure this issue was to introduce American-style graduation ceremonies. That seems to be the only idea that the National Party has been able to advance recently. I am not sure it would change the situation as much as the rich policies coming from the Labour Party would.
Hon Brian Donnelly Link to this
Could it be that the reason why fewer students are graduating from upper secondary school compared with the number in 2000 is that standards have risen since that time, given that it is unlikely there has been any significant change in the overall capability of the cohort; and has he received any reports of another party in this House advocating strongly for precisely such a tightening of educational standards?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
No. I say to the member that the main reason is simply the change in the way we collect the information. I am glad we have changed it, because it now has a much more robust basis. But I endorse the second part of the question; two parties, at least, in the Chamber are advocating ever-higher standards, and they are certainly New Zealand First and Labour—and I would probably count the Progressives, as well.
Does the Minister accept that, even if he argues that New Zealand data is not comparable with the OECD data, and we consider only the information sent from New Zealand, graduation rates at the secondary level have been in significant decline over the 5-year period from 2000 to 2005?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
No, I do not accept that, at all. I think the member needs to go back to our own data. The report, for example—to go back to what I said earlier—sees us as being consistently about 10 percentage points above the OECD average in terms of New Zealanders gaining upper secondary education, and we are seeing increases in NCEA achievement, and we are seeing NCEA level 2 being achieved by more students. Those are the important points—that we are seeing a steady improvement in the number of young people gaining qualifications. They are gaining more and higher qualifications.
Judy TurnerGiven that the OECD report highlighted that New Zealand suffers one of the widest gender gaps in the developed world, does he intend to honour the Government’s recent commitment to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to intensify its efforts to meet the target of eliminating gender inequalities in primary and secondary education by the earliest possible date, and at all educational levels by 2015; or, because boys are suffering rather than girls, will the Government continue to simply ignore the 22 percent gender gap in education?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
No, of course not. In fact, one of the things we have just been convening again in recent times is the boys’ reference group. We have been looking at experience around the world as to how to improve outcomes for boys. In particular, one of the things we think will work is to continue to diversify the way that education is delivered in New Zealand so that not only boys but Māori, Pacific Islanders—all the groups that are not doing as well—get education that is tailored to their particular learning styles and achievement outcomes. But the member can rest assured that we are not going to sit by and let that gender gap stay there. We certainly do not want to see anything other than constant improvement amongst girls, but we want to see boys improve, as well.
Why does the Minister’s Government continue to sing the praises of international reports such as those from the OECD when the results are good for New Zealand, only to question the validity of data, or comparability of data, when the results are bad for New Zealand?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
We actually release all of the OECD’s information in the usual way. In the case of this report, the data was released in the usual way. The Ministry of Education has been replying to questions about it. We are replying to questions about it here. We always welcome international comparisons. We have one of the best systems in the world. We are always very happy to have ourselves compared with others, because we show up pretty well.