Shocking Pacific achievement rates show change is needed

A new story out shows a shocking wave of failures in the new NCEA literacy and numeracy tests. The data is stark: over half of students failed the maths test, with Māori and Pacific students bearing the brunt.

For Pacific students, failure rates in maths soared to 77%, and for Māori, it was 71%. Reading and writing results were similarly troubling.

It begs the question, what is going wrong with our education system? Seriously, what on earth is going on here? It’s utterly devastating results, particularly for our Pacific students who are failing in areas that are needed to succeed in life.

Now I’m not going to pretend I was the perfect student who got the best grades, in fact I dropped out of high school because I felt it wasn’t for me.

So what’s the solution here? Is it adjusting the way the tests are assessed and or conducted, or does this prove the case for something like charter schools? Where the environment is much more bespoke and catered to the needs of the student?

It’s a question well worth asking isn’t it?

That’s Will’s Word.