The Government has allowed six weeks for consultation around the new secondary school qualification system.
We shouldn’t fast-track education changes
The six weeks allowed for consultation around the new secondary school qualification system is surely inadequate.
“Fast-track” change in education happened when NCEA was first introduced, and it was imposed on teachers who already knew it was flawed. We must make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Subsequent tinkering has not resolved the issue of over-assessment and too much focus on the banking of credits instead of actual learning.
The debate about NCEA also appears to have omitted input from classroom teachers, who know more about the system than almost everyone else.
It seems that this discussion is only just getting started, and if the Government truly wants a better system, it must listen to all those affected, not just industry leaders.
If we really want a better system, proper consultation is needed, not yet another flawed scheme for teachers and students to grapple with.
Vivien Fergusson, Mt Eden.
Putting faith in AI
After listening to Erica Stanford: AI marking will save money clearly but, having been on a marking panel, teachers learn valuable skills by marking that cannot be learned any other way. Also, student misconceptions abound.
AI marking will save teachers from the internal marking. So what do they have left? Mock exams and homework?
Learning is the key now, not understanding. One just needs to be able to say the right phrase. After all, AI has to mark it. I suppose the devil is in the fine print.
Looks like we need to start teaching our grandchildren times tables again. It is as if we are back in the 1990s: Academic and non-academic pupils. Bright and dumb. The neurodiverse have just been sold out? We need to climb up the international rankings just to look good - a political stunt.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Humans and the health system
In 1999, a landmark report on patient safety in the American healthcare system was published. Its abbreviated title was “To Err is Human”.
The burden of that report was that human error occurs throughout the healthcare system and has patient safety consequences. The answer is not to blame the humans involved but to design a system that makes such errors less likely.
A case in point is the recent instance reported in the Herald of a series of errors in the dispensing of the adult dosage of a medication to a baby. It might seem surprising that this could happen passing through the hands of three different people, but one wonders about the underlying system. In a properly designed electronic system for prescribing and dispensing medications, an entry of an adult dosage against a baby’s identification should automatically generate a red flag. This would be a fail-safe.
We should be paying more attention to enhancing the digital capabilities of our health system with inbuilt checks to make such instances of human error less likely.
Peter Davis, Emeritus Professor, University of Auckland.
Milk it for all it’s worth
A spoof announcement from the Ministry of Crypto-Dairy Affairs (MoCDA):
In response to spiralling global butter prices — and the unwavering Kiwi passion for innovation — we proudly unveil ButterCoin, New Zealand’s first dairy-backed digital currency. Finally, a coin as smooth as our export spreads.
Key features of ButterCoin:
MoCDA Statement: “This currency isn’t just dairy-driven — it’s full-fat financial futurism. Finally, a way to milk economic volatility for every drop.”
Coming soon: Our launch event, Crypto & Cows, featuring live blockchain branding and a butter sculpture of Satoshi Nakamoo-to.
Ready to churn your future into riches? Let’s whip this market!
Paul Coyle, Browns Bay.
Names and passports
In regards to the editorial last week (July 30) and the name on our passports, the passport is a legal document. “Aotearoa” is not yet officially or legally a name for New Zealand. Therefore, it should not have the prominent position. The country’s official name must take precedence. This is not to say that “Aotearoa” should not be on the cover.
Maybe we could have “Nu Turani” on the passport, as this was the name used in the Māori version of the Treaty of Waitangi, or Nu Tīreni, which was used in the Declaration of Independence in 1835.
Ian McGovern, Kerikeri.