For too long, New Zealand’s education system has been content to drift in a sea of mediocrity. Everyone has known for a long time that NCEA is broken. Thirteen years ago, when I finished high school, it was widely recognised among my peers that the system was too easy, gameable, and a disservice to our students.
Not many people found an education company while a teenager, and within a decade have grown it to be worth around a billion dollars. I reckon he may know something about education globally.
The basic hallmarks of a good education system are: 1) standardisation, so grades are meaningful and comparable nationwide; 2) world-class benchmarking, to ensure if a Kiwi excels in our schools, they can compete globally; and 3) robust assessment.
The interesting thing with that list is NCEA appears to fail not just one pillar, but all three. It does not have standard grades, it is not benchmarked, and it does not have robust assessment.
Obviously, we need to foster curiosity, a love of learning, intellectual debate, and free inquiry. However, a system that breeds curiosity and one that has rigorous examinations aren’t contradictory. In fact, when students are deeply engaged in school, their ability to be curious in class is far higher.
Yes, it is not an either/or.
In my work with Crimson Education, I’ve witnessed countless brilliant New Zealand students struggle to gain admission to elite universities not because they lack talent, but because NCEA hasn’t equipped them with the academic rigour required. When you compare NCEA to the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge A Levels, the gap is stark and sobering.
I have been surprised to see issues like testing and rigour become political footballs. They can’t be – and any team that wants to try to advocate for inward-facing mediocrity will always lose in the long run. The need for Kiwis to be able to win on the world stage with an education system that matches our ambition is critical. We cannot look inward and pat ourselves on the back as the world relentlessly marches forward without us.
I still get angry remembering the article where some school principals said it was unfair some students would not be able to get NCEA even though they couldn’t read, write or do simple maths. Mediocrity dressed up as equity is so wrong.
True equity means ensuring that if a student chooses the New Zealand curriculum, and they throw everything they’ve got at their education, there is no door in the world that isn’t open to them.
That’s the ambition we want.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
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