Minister: Students get more time to submit Scholarship papers for review

Scholarship students have been given extra time to decide if they want to submit their exam papers for review or reconsideration, Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope has announced.

Mr Benson-Pope says students initially had until tomorrow to send back papers. This has now been extended by an extra week, meaning the New Zealand Qualifications Authority will accept review or reconsideration applications up until 22 February.

Mr Benson-Pope says the existing refund mechanism will be used for students who decide to submit their paper for review or reconsideration.

"I have looked at this issue and am sure the appropriate way forward is for students who are concerned about the marking of their papers to resubmit them in the usual way," said Mr Benson-Pope. "I am particularly influenced by the fact that under the existing policy if mistakes are found in the marking of exam scripts then the application fee is refunded automatically.

"Regrettably, the call by some to have the fee waived entirely, may have given some students the impression that their papers might be remarked under different criteria or that grades would be adjusted as a result. This is not what the review and reconsideration process is for.

"The normal reconsideration process stands and is appropriate. However, if uncertainty had been caused by these calls for change students now have an extra week to decide if they would like to apply for reconsideration under the existing appeals policy," said Mr Benson-Pope.

The Minister says he has been advised that the review and reconsideration process normally takes between three and four weeks to complete. As with other years, people receiving awards will be formally notified by April.

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