‘Give them a hug’ - reminder for parents as students find out NCEA results

Khalia Strong - khalia.strong@pmn.co.nz

Parents and their children are being reminded to set realistic expectations as high school students check their NCEA results.

University of Otago Pacific Community Engagement manager Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai says parents can help set the scene and provide emotional support.

“Before you even open the computer, give them a hug, give them a coffee, sit them down and have those pre-conversations such as, 'Let’s have a look', and 'Don’t worry. Whatever happens, we will go through it together'.”

More than 160,000 students can now access their results, including marks for students who missed exams due to lockdowns, who will instead have their final marks assessed from other work completed in the year.

For students who were banking on university entrance based on their marks, Tofilau says this isn’t the end of the road.

“Go to your school. Sit down with the teachers that know you, because I know some students in the past who have only needed five [credits], or another option is to repeat Year 13, you may only have to do one semester.

“If you can’t go to university, go to polytech, pick up a trade and maybe, in four years’ time and you still want to go to university, go to university - but you have to be kind to yourself.”

Tofilau says it may be a day of reckoning for some, but parents who are involved in their children’s learning should already have an idea of how they’ve been tracking for the year..

“It’s not like we got up today and it’s a big surprise, it’s been a journey. It’s been a whole year. So as a parent, you would know. You should have prepared.

“Some kids already know they didn’t do well, but they keep on maintaining that hope because of the expectations from parents and the community."

NZQA has added extra staff and extended its call centre hours to cope with the expected surge in demand.

Students will be able to see their marked papers online from the 31st of January and will be able to ask for a reassessment if they feel it is warranted.

​Watch the full interview with Agnes Tupou on Pacific Mornings: