Macindoe Tim: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMacindoe Tim: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 03 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19208. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West)to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made on Better Public Service Targets in education?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Today I was pleased to announce that thousands more young people are on the road to success. We now have 78.6 percent of 18-year-olds with a minimum of National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2. In the past 2 years alone nearly 1600 more kids are over the line and we are up more than 10 percentage points overall since we came to Government. On early childhood education participation the increase to 95.9 percent gives so many more children the right start in life. It represents another 3839 kids participating in early childhood education since mid-2011. Under this Government more kids are starting earlier staying longer and leaving better qualified.Tim Macindoe: What progress in achievement can the Minister report for particular groups?Hon HEKIA PARATA: We have focused on collecting good information across the whole education system. That has helped to identify which students need what kind of support. The results announced today show that our targeted approach to education works. Since 2011 we have seen a 6.2 percentage point increase for young Māori 18-year-olds achieving NCEA level 2 and an increase of 5.9 percentage points for Pasifika. As my colleague the Hon Paula Bennett announced today through better integration of education and welfare there has been real progress in the achievement of NCEA credits amongst those involved in the Youth Service programme. We know there is more work to do to ensure educational success for all and we are doing it.Tim Macindoe: What changes are being made across the system to lift achievement?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Changes across the education system and funding boosts will allow generations of children more promising futures. These changes include investing in teaching and leadership strengthening the parental voice and improving the quality and availability of achievement information. This information shows parents how well their children are doing in school. It enables our teachers and leaders to know how they can give more assistance to those students who need it most. We can look at the results of investments and not just at how much we are spending. We must ensure we are targeting our resources to the students who need them the most. We have made big strides; we will continue to build on that to ensure success for five out of five students. There is more work to do.Chris Hipkins: What evidence does she have to assure the public that improved NCEA achievement statistics have not come about as a result of lowering standards to fit required pass rates rather than a genuine lift in student achievement?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It saddens me immensely that the member wishes to impugn the professionalism of teachers who across the country are ensuring that young people are getting the best-quality credits possible. How am I sure? Because we have dropped unit standards—we have achievement standards—because we have monitoring every term of how well students are doing because every school now keeps an achievement profile by gender and ethnicity and because any assertion that that is occurring is investigated promptly and assiduously by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.Chris Hipkins: No evidence.Hon HEKIA PARATA: The member says “No evidence.” Well I do not know what I have to give him to show what the New Zealand Qualifications Authority does what teachers themselves do and what the kids and parents themselves do. If the member wants to keep belittling that rather than celebrating the very success these numbers reflect it is a very sad Opposition over there.