So is the view of Alan Duff - New Zealand novelist, newspaper columnist and Duffy Books in Homes founder.

Duff says people should get rid of "losing" mindsets and Maori should drop the "mantra of colonialism", as "it's a losing mindset and it's going to lead us to disaster".

"Last year, I was at an event. One of the lead singers of Sole Mio came out to me and he was in tears.

"He said, ‘they just told me who you are. We are all recipients of Duffy books and the characters in those books gave us the idea that we didn't have to accept that we live in a state house'.

"We can be who we want," Duff says.

"That is what we're trying to do. We're trying to open up a bigger, wider world, full of opportunities for the 100,000 children on our programme."

"We just send them a relentless message that it's cool to read and it's cool to aspire."

Duff made the comments recently in Auckland at a breakfast fundraiser for De Paul House, a transitional housing and social housing provider.

Duff is not alone in his concern about student success.

School principals have the same concern, student achievement, but approach the issue from a different perspective.

The principals say new literacy and numeracy standards could "provoke a crisis" and "undermine the credibility" of the NCEA assessment system.

Their focus is particularly drawn to Maori and Pasifika students, saying they could miss out.

This year 200 schools took part in piloting the new standards.

Just one-third of students passed the writing assessment.

Sixty-four percent passed the reading assessment, and only half passed numeracy.

The principals say that during the pilot, principals said the tests could worsen "institutional racism" in the education sector.

Leanne Webb​, principal of Aorere College in Manukau, wrote to the Education Minister, Chris Hipkins, expressing her "grave concerns" about the pilot and Maori and Pasifika students' lower levels of achievement at the school.

"If a literacy and numeracy qualification is introduced in this form in 2024, it will provoke a crisis of real magnitude in education and undermine the credibility and purpose of the NCEA assessment system," she told Hipkins.

Overall, a plan to "get us out of our moribund achievement" is needed, she told the Minister. But it can't begin with a test in high school. It needs to start at primary school and flow through, she said.

"Merely introducing an aspirational test will not turn around achievement, it will merely increase collateral damage."

Nic Richards​, principal of Naenae College, says the tests would "potentially exclude our most vulnerable students from equitable access to educational credentials" at all levels of assessment.

The co-requisites mean students won't achieve certification at NCEA level 1, 2, 3 despite performing well in other subject areas.

"You're effectively saying here's a hurdle you've got to get over. If you can't get over it, you're never going to have a school-leaver qualification."

Source

• NZ Catholic
• Stuff

The school had been struggling against negative local perceptions while trying to cater to at-risk students.

Roll pressures saw the boys' school take on more at-risk students, causing issues with engagement, behaviour and academic achievement, said the Principal Mark Rice.

But the school has made big changes during the past decade.

Fewer than 20 per cent of NCEA level 1 students passed in 2007.

In 2014, the school had its first two students pass level 3, endorsed with excellence.

One of those students was awarded the University of Auckland's New Zealand Vice-Chancellor's Committee Scholarship and has gone on to study law and business.

St Paul's College is a Catholic state-integrated decile 2 school in the heart of Ponsonby, one of Auckland's trendiest and more affluent suburbs.

Two thirds of its students are from outside the local area.

Most students come from multi-lingual backgrounds, which often meant their literacy skills were not where they needed to be to pass NCEA.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: facebook.com

Of the 14 secondary schools in Taranaki only five were above the national average for the number of students who passed NCEA level 3.

The top girls' school and the top boys' school in the region were the two Catholic schools.

Sacred Heart Girls' College had 95.4 per cent of their year 13 students pass NCEA level 3 and Francis Douglas Memorial College had 82.9 per cent of their students leave with the qualification. Continue reading

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement 2011 statistics were recently released by the New Zealand Qualifications Association, revealing the pass rates for Rotorua high schools.John Paul College

Pompallier Catholic College principal Richard Stanton said the school term changes would disadvantage this year's NCEA students. "Instead of having four weeks at school in term four to work towards external exams, students will have only eight school days," he said

"This is far from an ideal learning situation for students sitting exams and may detract from our usual excellent results."

Other Northland College principals agree with Stanton, but all are also agreed that there have be some positives spin off's from the World cup competition

Source

• The New Zealand Herald
• Image: AKT

YouthLaw, a free legal service representing pupils with grievances against schools, says the letter clearly breaches the Education Act.

In his September 2 letter, principal Hohepa Campbell said many of the co-ed Maori school's seniors were underperforming and at risk of not achieving the National Certificate of Educational Achievement.

"The disappointing behaviour for all year 13 students includes: truancy, disruptive behaviour in class, non-completion of work, swearing and lack of respect for others.

"To best ensure a positive outcome for each year 13 student, we are taking a zero tolerance approach to academic and behavioural non-compliance. This will take the form of immediate stand-downs from Hato Petera College."

The Education Ministry says it plans to discuss the matter with the board chairman.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Stuff.co.nz