Students were attaining 300 or more credits over a year. Consequently, we have seen the increase in anxiety issues in schools.
The changes, in my opinion, seem obvious: NCEA Level 1 exams are not needed. A Level 1 qualification provides a student with little. We need more counselling of students in schools to determine exactly where their career may be in the future and study accordingly.
Level 2 has too many exams and these need to be trimmed back. Level 3 exams, too, can be reduced, and scholarship exams can go. A well-designed Level 3 exam can determine who are the top 2 per cent in the subject and give them money for university study.
The schools won’t be able to market how great they are, though. No doubt my views will be criticised, but let’s think of the students. Perhaps they might actually develop a love of learning?
Richard Cole, Waipū.
Gang crackdown
The Government’s crackdown on gangs (yet again) reminds me of Don Quixote and the windmill episode.
The Government doesn’t seem to realise the sheer size and power of international drug cartels who will not take their employees being messed with lightly.
Much like David Seymour’s intrusion into the nation’s sacred document, the proposed crackdown on gangs will open a can of worms and that would be putting it mildly.
Labour’s drug busts and increasing police numbers were the way forward. What National needs to do with great urgency is to continue Labour’s drug busts with the additional and crucial co-operation of police in China, Mexico, the US and Southeast Asia.
Starving gangs of their income is the best and only way forward. Intimidating them, as National is doing, only adds fuel to the fire and in the PM’s own immortal words, is taking New Zealand backwards.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Keep the patches
So the Luxon Government wants to make a law that would enable cops to arrest any gang member for wearing his patch in public, even if doing nothing else illegal. They need to think again.
It might be equally useful and sensible to pass a law criminalising gang members for not wearing their patches - because such surreptitious behaviour would make it difficult for the cops to identify them.
Barry Littlewood, Glendowie.
Gangs don’t have rights
Policies being considered to address the excesses and illegal behaviour of criminal gangs must not be fettered with excessive application of human rights laws. Courts must be directed to apply these rights only sparingly.
The gangs have chosen to engage in antisocial and abhorrent actions and they must not be allowed to hide behind legislation intended to protect the law abiding.
Outlaws, by definition, have opted to act with no respect for legal and civilised norms. They must not be given the option to pick and choose the laws that suit and facilitate their lawless lifestyles.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Lost in translation
I find the case of Howick real estate agent Janet Dickson being ordered to learn Māori tikanga quite a conundrum.
After all, considering our last successful Census statistics showed the population breakdown in Howick was something like 50 per cent Chinese and 5 per cent Māori, it would seem more logical for Ms Dickson to be learning Mandarin.
Colleen Wright, Botany Downs.
