As New Zealanders digest the news about government plans to scrap NCEA from 2028, we should also consider the role influential and prestigious schools had on its demise.
Since NCEA was introduced between 2002 and 2004, these prominent schools have increasingly opted for alternative assessment systems. This effectively undermined trust in the official assessment system.
In 2011, Auckland Grammar School became the first state school to decide NCEA wasn’t suitable for its students. It began offering assessments from Cambridge International Education, a suite of imported qualifications where students sit externally assessed exams alongside NCEA.
