Pandemic Lockdowns impact on NCEA achievements

Some teenagers are warning that the pandemic has ruined the school year and the most disadvantaged students are losing motivation and need more NCEA changes.

Their comments come after the Education Review Office (ERO) reported that a third of secondary Principals it interviewed in June and July 2020 said that students were worried that the national lockdown earlier this year had harmed their NCEA achievement.

They also come amid calls for further NCEA concessions to recognise that Auckland teenagers had been shut out of their classrooms by two lockdowns.

Worry over tertiary courses

The group of Year 12-13 students at a high-decile Wellington Secondary School told RNZ that the national lockdown earlier this year and ongoing uncertainty caused by the pandemic had harmed their education.

Year 13 student Tokorua Turua said that some students are now worried they would not be able to get into tertiary courses.

“We are just on edge. We do not know if we are going to get into these courses that we want. I know that if I ask around my friends, they are going to say ‘yeah, this is probably one of my worst years in school’ just because of this huge blow to our routine and how we go through our year. It is quite stressful at times,” he said.

Year 12 student Sara Habib said that the situation made her work harder but it had the opposite effect on some of her friends.

“The pressure in a sense makes me more willing to put in the effort and work. I also have friends who have stopped going to classes very often because of how quarantine and Covid have impacted. They look at it like ‘Oh, we have just had two months off school, might as well just stop’,” she said.

Motivation, momentum gone

Year 13 student Yona Fernandez said some students were coping well but others were not.

“There are some people who are really feeling the pressure because they know that they are not doing very well. Something about the lockdown just pulled away all the motivation, blew everyone’s momentum away,” she said.

The government made NCEA easier this year because of the lockdown, but a report from the ERO said more changes might be needed if there was a second lockdown.

That happened in Auckland and President of Secondary Principals’ Association Steve Hargreaves said that it cost students an extra two-and-a-half-weeks out of the classroom and that needed to be recognised.

“That has had a big impact on their preparation for external exams and the completion of some of the big portfolio subjects. If there is no consideration, then there is no doubt that these students will be really disadvantaged,” he said.

Learning Recognition Credits

Mr Hargreaves said that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) should increase the number of extra ‘Learning Recognition Credits’ Auckland schools could award to students.

Students could get one Learning Recognition Credit for every five they achieved up to a maximum of 10 extra credits at level 1 and eight at levels 2-3.

Mr Hargreaves said that Auckland students should be allowed a further five credits at Level 1 and four at Levels 2 and 3.

The Wellington teenagers, who spoke to RNZ, agreed that Auckland students should get more concessions to help them through the NCEA.

But they also warned that disadvantaged students throughout the country needed more help.

Year 12 student Angus Duncan said that Learning Recognition Credits were going to people who passed their courses, not to those who were failing.

“They are treating everyone as equal when it should not be like that. You should get an advantage based on how disadvantaged you are. The added credits, the one-for-five, was good for the people who are on track anyway, but for people who are not on track or are struggling to keep up with their work it’s not doing anything,” they said.

The government said that it would consider whether further support was needed.

Post-lockdown problems

An interim report from the ERO has highlighted problems with exhaustion and illness among school staff following the national lockdown this year.

The Report, based on interviews with Principals of schools and Chairs of Boards of Trustees from 110 schools in June and July also noted high levels of stress among Principals, and lower levels of concern about children’s achievement.

It said that staff wellbeing was the most commonly cited ongoing challenge for schools.

“Three-quarters of schools reported one or more challenges relating to exhaustion and sickness, teacher stress about workload, teacher anxiety about health, or principal stress,” the Report said.

Loss of revenue

It said that a quarter of schools were worried about their finances due to the loss of foreign students, fundraising income or increased costs related to the pandemic.

Half the schools planned to focus on students with additional learning needs who needed help returning to classroom learning after the lockdown.

“One in five school leaders expressed strong concern about the effect of lockdown on learner progress and achievement, particularly for learners whose engagement had been more limited. Around a third of schools with secondary-aged learners reported that senior students were anxious around NCEA achievement requirements,” the Report said.

It said that the main challenges for early childhood services included teacher stress and increased sick-days, reduced attendance and lack of development among children with special needs.

According to the Report, the government should ensure that children in low-decile schools had access to devices and internet connections before another lockdown.

It said that if there was another lockdown, the government might need to “take further action to reduce anxiety in NCEA students (including further changes to NCEA) and teachers.”

John Gerritsen is Education Correspondent at Radio New Zealand. The above Report and Picture have been published under a Special Arrangement with www.rnz.co.nz