Minority groups in dark over NCEA

Many parents from under-represented groups still do not understand the NCEA despite the system being in place for seven years, according to a University of Auckland researcher.

Doctor Elizabeth McKinley, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland's education faculty, called for the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to assess the way it informed communities about NCEA.

She said it was not good enough that despite being around since 2002 it was not well understood, especially in Maori and Pacific families, which were the focus of her study through the Starpath Project.

"Quite frankly parents are not confident at all about their ability to give guidance to kids," she said.

Dr McKinley said the report focused on the role of schools in disseminating information about NCEA but suggested there might also be some messages for NZQA.

"No one has questioned NZQA and what more they could do in terms of educating parents," she said.

She suggested assistance should be provided to parents who struggled with English and relied on their children to bring them up to speed with the ins and outs of the NCEA system.

Students could not be expected to relay correct information as they were "street smart, they gain credits, they know how to make the system work for them," she said.

A major problem was many parents were under the impression that simply gaining University Entrance was enough to be accepted to university, but many programmes now required school leavers to have achieved a certain grade in a certain course.

NZQA chief executive Karen Poutasi said the organisation used a variety of resources to make information available to parents, but also acknowledged the important role that schools have to play in the information process, as does the report.

And this year NZQA is scheduled to produce information for students which focuses on choosing appropriate courses to ensure they reach their academic goals.

"What needs to be remembered is that while the qualification was introduced in 2002, a large number of parents are still coming into contact with NCEA for the first time each year, when their children begin aiming for the qualification," she said.

Dr McKinley's report, released this week, highlights a need for more adult guidance when students, particularly those from minority groups, choose NCEA subjects.

It showed many academically able students were ending up in subjects that limited their chances of moving into tertiary study.