Ministers caned over boys' schooling

Paul Baker

An adviser to the Education Minister says the Government has responded to falling academic achievement among boys with "denial, delay and trivialisation".

Dr Paul Baker, rector of Waitaki Boys High School in Oamaru, will today tell a conference on boys' education that curriculum, teaching and assessment are geared towards girls but Government agencies are doing nothing to improve boys' performance.

Dr Baker was appointed by the Government in 2004 to advise on how to solve the problems of boys' academic shortcomings.

But he said just four "stage-managed" meetings had been held in two years, despite promises of action from former Education Minister Trevor Mallard.

"We wonder if it was all a sham to defuse a politically hot topic. The gender gap emerged 15 years ago and it is still growing, yet we haven't got beyond base one in our response."

Education Minister Steve Maharey told the Herald the main problem was literacy and the Government was investing $32 million a year to lift standards.

But Dr Baker's research, which he will present to the Massey University-hosted conference on the North Shore today, reveals that for every six girls who pass National Certificate of Educational Achievement exams, only five boys pass.

Across all subjects, the pass rate for girls averages about 10 per cent higher than that of their male classmates.

Dr Baker will say that at Year 13 the gap is larger and continuing to grow because fewer boys are still at school. Last year, boys made up 47 per cent of the Year 13 roll and just 41 per cent of NCEA Level 3 passes.

That is having a knock-on effect in the tertiary sector. In the past five years the percentage of male students aged 17 to 20 has dropped from 46 per cent to 42 per cent, causing "major implications for society that no one seems to be addressing".

Dr Baker's research also shows a crisis in the numbers of male primary teachers and a potential crisis at secondary level.

But teachers of either gender who understand the different needs of boys and girls are better than simply hauling more men into the classroom.

Around 130 delegates will attend the three-day conference at Albany.

Dr Baker will tell them that boys' schools and boys-only classes have an advantage in meeting male needs.

His research also shows most co-ed schools are doing little to specifically target the needs of boys. But boys can also thrive in well-run, co-ed schools.

Dr Baker says answers to the problem are complex and multi-layered.

He will praise Government initiatives around information and communication technology and literacy, which help boys, but says there will be no solution until the Government and various education agencies and organisations agree to act.

His report, "Understanding the Gender Gap", calls for a full review of curriculum, teaching theory and assessment.

"The gender gap emerged when girls started to realise their potential and everyone celebrates that," he said.

"Now it's time for boys to realise their potential. Each gender should be catered for without disadvantaging the other."