By Teitimoana Tairi, Cook Islands News
Photo: RNZ
The Cook Islands Education Ministry has submitted formal feedback to New Zealand regarding the proposed overhaul of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) after consulting with all secondary school principals.
The NCEA overhaul underway in New Zealand is prompting preparations in the Cook Islands as the Education Ministry monitors developments and braces for potential effects.
Secretary of education Owen Lewis said the consultation in New Zealand on the proposal to phase out NCEA in its current form closed on 15 September.
"The Cook Islands Ministry of Education made a formal submission to that process, highlighting both the strengths we observed and the potential risks such a shift could pose for our students and the country," Lewis said in an email correspondence to Cook Islands News.
Secretary of Education Owen Lewis. Photo: Cook Islands News
Before sending the submission, the Ministry engaged with all secondary principals to ensure their voices were reflected in the Cook Islands' feedback.
"We sought input from all secondary principals before submitting our feedback to New Zealand. Their perspectives helped shape our submission," said Lewis.
"We have not yet received feedback from the New Zealand Ministry of Education, but we are eagerly awaiting it."
The proposed changes being considered in New Zealand could reshape senior secondary qualifications by 2028, replacing NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 with a new national system.
"We anticipate that the Year 9 curriculum will start to reflect these changes from around 2026, but at this point, we have not been privy to detailed planning information," Lewis said.
He said once official feedback or updates are received, "we will communicate these to schools and the public".
According to Lewis, the Cook Islands has taken a cautious but proactive approach.
"Our approach has been one of preparedness, not change for its own sake. We are closely following New Zealand's reform timeline to ensure that when new qualifications are confirmed, our schools and teachers are ready to transition smoothly."
When asked whether there had been any changes to the Year 11 curriculum, Lewis said no.
"Any adjustments that schools have made locally this year are simply to strengthen alignment with existing NCEA standards and literacy/numeracy requirements, not part of the proposed system overhaul," he added.
For now, the Ministry's focus remains on preparedness ensuring Cook Islands students and teachers are not caught off guard by the proposed changes.
In New Zealand, the proposed changes to NCEA include: Removing NCEA Level 1 and introducing a Foundational Skills Award in literacy/numeracy for Year 11; Replacing NCEA Levels 2 and 3 with two new certificates: the New Zealand Certificate of Education (Year 12) and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (Year 13); Structuring assessment around full subjects rather than the current flexible credit mix; expecting students to take at least five subjects and pass four to earn a certificate; and Introducing letter grades (A-E) and scores out of 100 instead of the Achieved/Merit/Excellence model.
-This article was first published by Cook Islands News.
