11. Question No. 11—Education (School Operations)ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations)Question No. 11—Education (School Operations)11. ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations): Does she stand by her statements and actions?Hon JAN TINETTI (Associate Minister of Education (School Operations)): Yes.Erica Stanford: Can she guarantee that New Zealand will be included in the Programme for International Student Assessment given that our critically low school response rate of 63 percent is classified as not acceptable?Hon JAN TINETTI: Mr Speaker I didn't quite hear the start of that question. The mike wasn't on. Could we hear that again please?DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry. We've got some movement in the gallery. I'll just ask the member to—Erica Stanford: Can she guarantee that New Zealand will be included in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) given that our critically low school response rate of 63 percent is classified as not acceptable?Hon JAN TINETTI: Yes.Erica Stanford: How can she guarantee that our inclusion in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment study will happen when ministry advice around our critically low uptake at 63 percent says that we will not know definitively if our data can be considered until early 2023 because we haven't met the minimum requirement to participate?Hon JAN TINETTI: The ministry is continuing to work on that and the member is a little bit behind in her details in what she has. They have worked on that with some haste.Erica Stanford: What percentage of schools are currently participating in the PISA testing studies?Hon JAN TINETTI: I don't actually have that number in front of me at this point in time but if the member would like to put that in writing I'm certain that we can get that to her. Hon Grant Robertson: Point of order. The primary question was the traditional Opposition question of Does the Minister stand by her statements and actions?" To have a cacophony of noise when a very specific point is—Nicola Willis: Oh diddums.Hon Grant Robertson: —or even to interrupt during a point of order is out of order. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'll deal with one at a time.Hon Grant Robertson: So I think to have that response—we know that if members want specific details they should put down specific questions. To have that response come back at the Minister is simply out of order.Chris Bishop: Speaking to the point of order that is a legitimate point except that the Minister in her response to I think the second supplementary question essentially implied that the questioner was behind the times and that the Minister had access to information that the questioner did not have access to and thereby implied to the House that she had all the information at her fingertips. So my colleague Erica Stanford asked a very legitimate question which was just a simple: what is the percentage of schools that are participating? So it flowed directly from the supplementary question that came before.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think the supplementary was in order. I think it was very difficult for probably anyone to hear the answer. I have no idea whether it's been addressed or not because of the volume coming from my left. I'm assuming the Minister has addressed it and that's where it will lie except that the member Nicola Willis will stand withdraw and apologise for her interruption of a point of order.Nicola Willis: I withdraw and apologise.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you.Erica Stanford: Does she think that it's acceptable that the Government Statistician has had to intervene and act on a duty of care to protect PISA's integrity by sending a letter to school boards and principals to encourage them to participate when it is her responsibility as the Associate Minister of Education?Hon JAN TINETTI: This year has been the most difficult that schools have faced. COVID-19 in 2022 has brought the biggest challenges to the schooling sector that they have ever faced. In fact I was just at a school this morning where the principal was telling us of the absolute difficulties that they have seen. It is absolutely warranted that the Chief Statistician would send that letter out to schools. I have also asked schools myself through many different avenues to become involved in this. We are using every avenue that we can and I can confirm to the member that this is of importance to us.Erica Stanford: Why did she not act with more urgency to guarantee our participation beyond doubt when she was advised by her officials that for this cycle especially PISA will contain significant insights into how our learners are doing academically and personally after two years of disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic?Hon JAN TINETTI: I refute the premise of that question. I have acted with great urgency around this through many different avenues as I've said in the last supplementary question."