Government responds to Scholarship Review
EducationThe government has endorsed a series of recommendations made by an expert panel looking at the New Zealand Scholarship exams.
Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope says changes recommended by the Scholarship Reference Group will deliver the certainty the government, parents, and students require from New Zealand Scholarship.
"The government intervened earlier this year because scholarship exams are an important mechanism for recognising top academic performance, and as a means for distributing significant financial awards," said Mr Benson-Pope. "The unacceptable variability in the 2004 results created an obvious unfairness that had to be addressed."
Mr Benson-Pope says the key recommendation of the review group is that scholarship should be awarded to a set percentage of students in every subject. The review group recommends this percentage be set at a figure between two to three per cent of the total number of students studying a subject at NCEA Level 3.
A National Scholarship Monitoring Panel will be established to advise NZQA on the implementation of these recommendations. Proposed membership and terms of reference for the panel will be presented to Cabinet at the end of May. Final decisions on the target percentage will be made in conjunction with the panel.
Mr Benson-Pope says some departure from this target may be necessary for individual subjects to preserve the integrity of the exam. This might happen in subjects where there are small numbers of students taking a subject or where there are low scholarship entry levels.
"The recommended changes will require students to be ranked, and we have been assured that this is possible within a standards-based system providing the examination is structured appropriately," said Mr Benson-Pope.
Mr Benson-Pope says Cabinet has endorsed all but one of the reference group's 26 recommendations. It has deferred a decision on whether all students gaining a scholarship should get a financial award until the Ministry of Education look at the issue. They will report back by 30 May on this issue.
The minister paid tribute to the reference group: Hohepa Campbell, Terry Crooks, Kate Gainsford, John Langley, Margaret McLeod, Don McLeod, Luanna Meyer, John Morris, Roger Moses, Ray Newport, Tim Oughton, and Graham Young.