“Just retired ERO Head Judith Aitken’s report to Parliament that there are ‘large numbers’ of incompetent teachers
contradicts NZQA’s plan to have these same teachers handing out the new secondary qualifications from their classrooms,
says the writer of a new report on the NCEA,” said Concerned Teachers spokesperson Peter Calvert.
Mr Calvert was publicly releasing a report commissioned from secondary consultant John Bell entitled “NCEA – A Risk
Analysis”. Mr Bell has had long experience both in New Zealand and French schools in qualifications development and
industrial issues surrounding them. (Enclosed.)
“Judith Aitken restated views to the Education and Science Select Committee on 7 December which she first aired in 1997
that there are ‘thousands of incompetent teachers’,” said Mr Calvert. “Yet Mr Bell correctly points out that these are
the very same teachers in whom NZQA will be placing their trust to carry out half of the awarding of qualifications in
each subject once the NCEA is phased in from next year.”
“Concerned Teachers, though not accepting Aitken’s assessment, believes New Zealand youth face a fiasco if the NCEA
proceeds,” said Mr Calvert. “For that reason in late 2000, we commissioned Mr Bell’s report into the risk factors from
having classroom teachers testing and awarding qualifications for the students they teach.”
“Mr Bells’ report makes it clear that quite apart from the issue of letting teachers whose competence has been called
into question award qualifications to their own students, the new assessment system will expose both students and
teachers to unacceptable risks and pressures that neither will want,” said Mr Calvert. “It is time for a pause till the
public has answers to the questions he has raised.”
Ends