1. Early categorization of students and direction into narrow pathways creates carnage.
When at teachers’ college in the 1990s I came across a text with a photo of a Maori man doing road work and the caption: “Where would we be for roads in New Zealand without the Maori worker?”
You could change the photo/caption today to: “Where would be in Rugby/League without the Maori/Pasifika players?”
In the mid-1980s, when I started high-school, the entry cohort did a couple of flimsy tests and, without any understanding of the children’s previous contexts, or home life, etc – we were placed in one of 3Academic1, 3A2, 3Commerce1, 3C2, 3Practical1, 3P2 and a group in 3Thanksforcomingandpleasedon’tstay long – unless you are good at rugby.
I happened to be in 3A1, then 4A1 and had the dubious benefit of learning French and German – which to be fair did help me know how to pronounce words in war comics. It is of note that;
– only two out of 30 in my class were Maori. And – at least 30% of the school population was Maori.
– there was a tiny bit of movement between the A1 and A2 classes – but none between the categories.
– plus – I got caned too often – especially by the French teacher who didn’t appreciate someone saying F%$k followed by “pardon my French”.
For anyone who thinks that this kind of categorisation does not happen today – I can assure you it is rife – just not as blatant. Many schools – even prominent ones – see their Year 9 intake in three ways;
– someone with high academic ability/potential – and therefore of benefit to the school’s reputation.
– someone with high sporting ability/potential – and therefore of benefit to the school’s reputation.
– someone else.
A positive article in the Herald this week talked about a number of schools trying to turn around their achievement data. There was one statement though, that indicates the deflection that schools use when challenged on their LEAVERS data: “School-leaver data counts those who leave mid-year for a job or an apprenticeship, for example, which is more likely among those at schools with high EQI scores.” There are three problems with that statement;
– very few schools do exit interviews or keep any record as to how many of the students move into jobs or apprenticeships and the stats do not back up the assertion. For instance, for Northland College (featured in the article) 50% of their students leave before 17yo. In 2023 they had 58 school leavers and 38 were not enrolled in further study (20 were in some form).
– In fact low to mid-range EQI schools (ie wealthier ones) have a greater proportion go into work/apprenticeships or further study
– we have a significant decline in the number of apprenticeships across the country and only a 50% completion rate. I often hear people say that the “know of tradies making a great income – running a business, etc”. No doubt it is true that there are some but we seldom refer to the carnage of non-completion and that many who begin end up as long-term low-income labourers – if working at all. It also does not tell you about the struggles of those tradies when, for example, the construction sector is weak, or how often they have to go through the task of laying off staff.
As every genuine sports coach knows – early specialisation is fraught with long-term problems. It is the same in academic/vocational learning.
2. What “vocations” will be needed, lucrative or even exist at all in the child’s future is completely unpredictable.
This is more true now than ever before.
Two quite distinct examples make this clear.
– For much of the past 20 years “coding” was a vocational course/pathway the was pushed widely. Now, a google search using AI tells me:
“Decline in Entry-Level Hiring: Since the rise of AI coding tools, early-career software engineers (ages 22–30) have experienced a decline in employment, as companies use AI to replace tasks traditionally done by junior developers.”
– Even building is likely to face huge changes. Here is a stunning example from Japan. It is well worth a read/watch. The headline is:
“This startup built Japan’s first 3D-printed two-story home. It wants to solve the country’s construction crisis”
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/07/business/japans-3d-printing-construction-sector-crisis-hnk-spc
At a deeper – and much more important – level, education has to be driven by the need to allow the whole person to develop. Functionality is of far less importance than humanity. People taking a positive place in society exceeds that of just serving the economy.
Alwyn Poole, a well-known figure in the New Zealand education system, he founded and was the head of Mt Hobson Middle School in Auckland for 18 years. This article was sourced HERE
In the mid-1980s, when I started high-school, the entry cohort did a couple of flimsy tests and, without any understanding of the children’s previous contexts, or home life, etc – we were placed in one of 3Academic1, 3A2, 3Commerce1, 3C2, 3Practical1, 3P2 and a group in 3Thanksforcomingandpleasedon’tstay long – unless you are good at rugby.
I happened to be in 3A1, then 4A1 and had the dubious benefit of learning French and German – which to be fair did help me know how to pronounce words in war comics. It is of note that;
– only two out of 30 in my class were Maori. And – at least 30% of the school population was Maori.
– there was a tiny bit of movement between the A1 and A2 classes – but none between the categories.
– plus – I got caned too often – especially by the French teacher who didn’t appreciate someone saying F%$k followed by “pardon my French”.
For anyone who thinks that this kind of categorisation does not happen today – I can assure you it is rife – just not as blatant. Many schools – even prominent ones – see their Year 9 intake in three ways;
– someone with high academic ability/potential – and therefore of benefit to the school’s reputation.
– someone with high sporting ability/potential – and therefore of benefit to the school’s reputation.
– someone else.
A positive article in the Herald this week talked about a number of schools trying to turn around their achievement data. There was one statement though, that indicates the deflection that schools use when challenged on their LEAVERS data: “School-leaver data counts those who leave mid-year for a job or an apprenticeship, for example, which is more likely among those at schools with high EQI scores.” There are three problems with that statement;
– very few schools do exit interviews or keep any record as to how many of the students move into jobs or apprenticeships and the stats do not back up the assertion. For instance, for Northland College (featured in the article) 50% of their students leave before 17yo. In 2023 they had 58 school leavers and 38 were not enrolled in further study (20 were in some form).
– In fact low to mid-range EQI schools (ie wealthier ones) have a greater proportion go into work/apprenticeships or further study
– we have a significant decline in the number of apprenticeships across the country and only a 50% completion rate. I often hear people say that the “know of tradies making a great income – running a business, etc”. No doubt it is true that there are some but we seldom refer to the carnage of non-completion and that many who begin end up as long-term low-income labourers – if working at all. It also does not tell you about the struggles of those tradies when, for example, the construction sector is weak, or how often they have to go through the task of laying off staff.
As every genuine sports coach knows – early specialisation is fraught with long-term problems. It is the same in academic/vocational learning.
2. What “vocations” will be needed, lucrative or even exist at all in the child’s future is completely unpredictable.
This is more true now than ever before.
Two quite distinct examples make this clear.
– For much of the past 20 years “coding” was a vocational course/pathway the was pushed widely. Now, a google search using AI tells me:
“Decline in Entry-Level Hiring: Since the rise of AI coding tools, early-career software engineers (ages 22–30) have experienced a decline in employment, as companies use AI to replace tasks traditionally done by junior developers.”
– Even building is likely to face huge changes. Here is a stunning example from Japan. It is well worth a read/watch. The headline is:
“This startup built Japan’s first 3D-printed two-story home. It wants to solve the country’s construction crisis”
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/07/business/japans-3d-printing-construction-sector-crisis-hnk-spc
At a deeper – and much more important – level, education has to be driven by the need to allow the whole person to develop. Functionality is of far less importance than humanity. People taking a positive place in society exceeds that of just serving the economy.
Alwyn Poole, a well-known figure in the New Zealand education system, he founded and was the head of Mt Hobson Middle School in Auckland for 18 years. This article was sourced HERE
2 comments:
By UNESCO criteria (ISCED - International Standard Classification of Education), 'basic education' includes primary and lower secondary schooling, taking the child up to age 15. The main function of basic education is to instil basic skills - mainly literacy and numeracy. However, elective subjects may be taken at lower secondary level, some of which lead to specialised tracks at upper secondary level.
In NZ, basic education equates to Years 1-10. However, specialised tracks do not usually appear until Years 12 and 13.
Because there is free (in theory) subject choice at upper secondary level in NZ, schools tend to track their pupils at that level by offering sought-after subject packages such as "3 sciences + maths" for youngsters aiming high at post-school level e.g. entry into competitive biomedical course tracks at uni.
The more efficient European systems tend to have 3 tracks at upper secondary level: academic, technical, and vocational. These may be further subdivided e.g. science intensive - non-science intensive for 'academic'. The 'technical' track includes commercial options. These students usually end up in polytechs after leaving school. 'Vocational' applies mainly to training in traditional trades that involve apprenticeships. In some systems, students are dually enrolled in technical colleges and upper secondary schools (upper secondary being an institutionally separate tier in European systems).
The importance of career guidance cannot be overstated. Careers counselling involves not only school transcripts but also aptitude testing and the wishes of both students and parents.
In my observation, NZ still has some way to go to modernise both attitudes and practices in this area. Too many people, decision-makers included, continue to think along the lines of "academic versus vocational", ignoring that intermediate category labelled 'technical' in Europe that is so vitally important to the economy. There is also the lingering view that 'academic' is associated with 'winners' and non-academic with 'losers'. Every young person going through the school system needs to emerge a 'winner' whether bound for varsity, polytech or an apprenticeship. Let's face it, what do we need more of: BA's in humanities or competent tradespeople?
At the end of the day, regardless of an imagined 'robotic' future, who in the foreseeable future, Alwyn, is going to unblock your toilet: You, a plumber or a graduate?
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