[ACT] Mallard Must Step In Over Exam Row,

[a...@parliament.govt.nz]

Mallard Must Step In Over Exam Row, Says ACT

Tuesday 27 Jul 2004
Deborah Coddington
Press Releases -- Education
(view HTML version at: http://www.act.org.nz/item.jsp?id=25907 )

ACT New Zealand Education Spokesman Deborah Coddington today urged
Education Minister Trevor Mallard to investigate the New Zealand
Qualifications Authority's refusal to reconsider making some high
school students sit three exams in one day.

"On National Radio today, Wellington College Principal Roger Moses
said that two students at his school, and many others around the
country, are being forced to sit three exams within a matter of hours,
Miss Coddington said.

"Sitting one exam in a day is hard enough. Two can be an exhausting.
Three is just too much. While these students could achieve their full
potential in the first exam - and maybe the second - chances are that
fatigue will prevent them from doing their best come the third.

"Mr Moses' solution - an offer to supervise his students so that they
could sit one of their exams the next day - was refused outright by
the NZQA.

"This, despite a draft exam timetable prepared by the NZQA earlier in
the year, that showed no subject clashes. It was not until early June
that Mr Moses received a copy of the final timetable showing his
students would face three exams in one day.

"NZQA's only suggestion upon being notified of the problem was that
the students should change subjects - half way through the year.

"This is abhorrent. These are hard-working, gifted children who have
done everything that can be expected to succeed. Now the NZQA is
making unreasonable demands which could see all their hard work over
the past year go down the drain.

"These children deserve a fair go, and Mr Mallard must step in and
come up with a solution as soon as possible. The NZQA should be
celebrating achievement, not punishing these students for working
hard," Miss Coddington said.

ENDS

Deborah Coddington MP
deborah.c...@parliament.govt.nz
Phone: 04 470 6632 / 027 211 0959
Fax: 04 473 3532

Scott Dennison, Press Secretary
scott.d...@parliament.govt.nz
Phone: 04 470 6622 / 027 450 1407

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or
contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at a...@parliament.govt.nz.