NZQA head fighting to stay in the job

Pressure is mounting for Qualifications Authority head Karen Van Rooyen to resign following a damning report into the controversial Scholarship exams.

The pressure for her to quit came as the Scholarship debacle claimed its first scalp yesterday when authority chairman Professor Graeme Fraser resigned.

There is speculation that more heads will roll, the most likely to include Ms Van Rooyen.

She has faced fierce criticism since the controversy, in which hundreds of New Zealand's best students failed to get Scholarships, was first revealed in February.

Professor Fraser's resignation was announced two hours after the release of the State Services Commission report, which largely blamed the authority for the problems with the Scholarship exams.

Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope said Professor Fraser's resignation was the appropriate action for him to have taken.

"I'm personally saddened that he didn't manage to get on top of, in a governance way, the issues to do with Scholarship last year."

The minister said he was being advised on suitable replacements for Professor Fraser.

He said he was unhappy with the authority's performance. It had to accept the lion's share of responsibility for the Scholarship problems.

An independent report into the exams commissioned by the authority was also released yesterday.

It says further individual accountability will be addressed as soon as possible - an indication that Ms Van Rooyen will face intense scrutiny over coming weeks.

She clung on to her job when the Scholarship problems were first revealed, refusing to bow to pressure to resign.

But a second State Services Commission report into the performance of the authority is due at the end of July, and this is likely to place even more pressure on her.

Yesterday, she would not speak to the media.

Mr Benson-Pope would not comment on Ms Van Rooyen, saying he was not responsible for her employment.

Authority board member Catherine Gibson also would not answer questions about Ms Van Rooyen's future.

"As soon as a new chair is appointed we will look at the issues of accountability," she said.

The board had formally apologised to the minister and to the students and parents directly affected by the exams.

Mrs Gibson said Professor Fraser had resigned because he was an honorable person. She said other members of the board had also considered resigning.

Professor Fraser did not return the Herald's calls yesterday.

WHO IS PROFESSOR GRAEME FRASER?

* Emeritus professor, Massey University. Colonel commander in the Army.

* Became foundation professor of psychology at Massey in 1970, later becoming assistant vice-chancellor (academic) and acting vice-chancellor.