NCEA Computer Glitch is Last Straw
The computer faults that could cost many secondary students hard-earned marks provide more evidence that the flawed
NCEA qualification has been rushed through with nowhere near enough planning, ACT Education Spokesman Donna Awatere
Huata said today.
"There are software glitches with each of the computer systems used to send marks from schools to the New Zealand
Qualifications Authority.
"This must be sickening for the kids and their parents who never wanted this ideologically-driven nonsense heaped upon
them. How much more evidence do we need that NCEA is a dangerous experiment being rammed through by the Education
Minister with little thought or planning?
"It is ironic that Trevor Mallard, who led Labour's attack on the police Incis computer system, is in charge of this
mess - but it is also sickeningly hypocritical. Mr Mallard cannot guarantee children will receive the marks they have
earned, yet that's the most basic, fundamental requirement you'd expect from any new school qualification.
"It is far too late to fix the computer systems for this year's NCEA students, but it's certainly not too late to wipe
the slate clean and scrap NCEA for next year's students. The computer problems are only going to get worse with more
kids and more assessments. The new software systems have already quadrupled the amount of data heaped on teachers, and
this is only with Level One implemented. Mr Mallard can't realistically expect teachers to wade through 500 page-long
printouts from NZQA to check for mark accuracy. And it is indefensible for NZQA - the Minister's responsibility - to
lack a single employee with detailed knowledge of the various software systems. This system is a dog, and the Minister
knows it.
"Mr Mallard's attempt to blame teachers just doesn't cut it. The British Education Minister resigned for less. I'm fed
up with Mr Mallard's attempts to pass the buck when it's his own rotten system at fault, and I'm fed up with his attempt
to drive through such a blatantly flawed qualification," Mrs Awatere Huata said.