School Leaders in New Zealand Oppose Education Reform
Eighty-nine secondary school principals in New Zealand have called for the government to halt its planned overhaul of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) system, warning that the reforms pose serious risks for disadvantaged students.
Under the proposed plan, the current three-level structure of the NCEA would be scrapped. Levels 2 and 3 would be replaced by a “certificate” and an “advanced certificate”, while Level 1 would be substituted with a literacy and numeracy-based “foundation certificate”. Pupils would also be required to pass at least four out of five subjects each year, with achievement assessed through letter grades as well as a score out of 100.
In an open letter to Education Minister Erica Stanford, the principals argued that the reform lacked justification, had been developed without transparency, and would disproportionately affect Māori and Pasifika students in particular.
The letter further claimed that the changes had been rushed through, were more a matter of political preference than educational necessity, and that only a limited number of principals had been consulted. It also highlighted that confidentiality agreements prevented school leaders from publicly disclosing their concerns.