On Wednesday the Tertiary Education Union released a survey of more than a 1000 tertiary staff, 63 percent of whom felt they had come under more heat in the past decade to pass a higher percentage of students. On Nine to Noon yesterday, Universities New Zealand chair Stuart McCutcheon strongly denied that universities are lowering standards for admission, or for passing courses.
Since then we've heard from a number of academics, from both universities and polytechs, all seeking anonymity, who say they have been under increasing pressure to pass more students.
Nine to Noon speaks to Sheelagh Matear, the executive director of the Academic Quality Agency and to Tim Fowler, the chief executive of the Tertiary Education Commission.
