Parity for All: Aspiration and expectation in
New Zealand
Dr Airini
A seminar co-sponsored by the Department of Education Studies and the Centre for
Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training, The University of British Columbia
20th September 2012
“ The Tertiary Education Commission expects
Tertiary Education Organisations to:
• ensure that Māori and Pacific students
participate and achieve at all levels at least on
a par with other learners.”
(TEC Plan Guidance for 2013.
http://www.tec.govt.nz/Funding/investment-plans/Plan-guidance-for-2013/)
“During 2013 to 2015, New Zealand’s
tertiary education system needs to
make a bigger contribution to New
Zealand’s economic growth, and it
needs to do it within current levels of
government investment.
This means focusing on outcomes and
raising performance – especially for
Māori and Pacific learners, where the
biggest gains are to be made.”
Parity through ‘Hard wired’ targets
Presentation summary
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•
•
•
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Why have parity targets?
Approach underpinning the targets
Issues and intentions
Monitoring progress on the targets
Discussion: When can parity be a reasonable
expectation?
Parity targets amidst global trends in tertiary
education
• Growing importance of the knowledge
society/economy
• Trade in education services
• Education is increasingly viewed as a major
engine of economic development, and a
private good.
• Inequality, access and success
New Zealand
Aoteraoa New Zealand
Pasifika New Zealand
New Zealand: Tertiary Education Strategy
“The Government’s vision is for a world-leading
education system that equips all New
Zealanders with the knowledge, skills and
values to be successful citizens in the 21st
century.
A world-leading education system is an
important first step towards a productive and
growing economy that delivers greater
prosperity, security and opportunity for all New
Zealanders.”
Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015
Tertiary Education Strategy: Māori
Vision: Enable Māori to enjoy education success as Māori
• A unique place as tangata whenua and partners to the
Treaty of Waitangi.
• Tertiary education has a particular responsibility to
maintain and develop Māori language and culture to
support Māori living as Māori in both Te Ao Mäori and in
wider society.
• Māori business and development are making a major
contribution to New Zealand’s economy and society.
• Acknowledging and advancing Māori language, culture and
identity is important in providing a basis for Māori success
in all forms of education.
•
One in five tertiary students is Māori.
Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015
ACHIEVING PRIORITIES BY 2015
• target priority groups
increasing the number of Māori students enjoying
success at higher levels
increasing the number of Pasifika students achieving
at higher levels
• improve system performance
• support high-quality research that helps to drive innovation.
How the New Zealand tertiary system makes change
Parity: Recent history
2011:
Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Plan
2008-2012 mid-term review:
Implementation of the Māori education strategy was progressing
too slowly.
The Pasifika Education Plan 2009-2012:
Some improvement but gap between Pasifika and non-Pasifika
remains and is expanding in some cases. Cabinet-agreed actions.
2012:
TEC Board: Progress made for Māori and Pasifika, but providers
tend to set conservative targets in their Investment Plans, and
educational outcome disparities have remained the same or
widened relative to non-Māori and non-Pasifika.
Parity: Expectation
2012:
“TEC expects tertiary education organisations to
ensure that Maori and Pacific learners participate
and achieve at all levels at least on a par with
other learners”
Māori. Pasifika.
•
•
•
•
Underlying reasons why Māori and Pasifika do not participate or achieve
in tertiary education at the same rate as Other people has been the focus
of research over some time.
There is little information on whether Māori and Pasifika outcomes are
affected by the same factors or in the same way.
There are key differences between the two populations.
The parity investment approach is about system performance.
Parity: Reasonable benchmarks
•
A range of possible benchmarks:
o 15-64 yr pop (2006 Census)
o 15-39 yr pop (2006 Census)
o 15-24 yr pop (2006 Census)
o School leavers (2010)
o School leavers with no attainment (2010)
o School leavers with at least NCEA Level 2 (2010)
o School leavers with UE (2010)
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The year for which the targets should be set
Targets for Wananga
Targets for PTEs
Increasing the stretch for universities
Parity: Focus of targets
It became clear from the analysis of participation and achievement that the
main focus of the targets should be on parity of achievement, as this is
clearly an area where disparity exists and has not improved markedly.
•Māori are currently either on par or over-represented, in terms of
participation, in all sub-sectors except universities
•Pasifika participation is currently on par or above-par compared to
population benchmarks for all sub-sectors except universities, underrepresented particularly at Level 8+ in Universities, and the proportion of ITO
trainees at Level 4+ is also under-par.
•A comparison of completion rates for both courses and qualifications shows
that Māori and Pasifika are consistently under-achieving across all sectors
and broad groupings of level.
Achievement
Example: University sector
Examples of options considered for participation targets for Universities
The % of EFTS that are provided by each university to Māori/Pasifika learners
should be at least on par with the:
•
•
Option 1: % of national 15-39 population who are Māori/Pasifika by 2018
Option 2: % of 15-39 population within the University’s region who are
Māori/Pasifika by 2018
Target chosen (option 5)
• For the university sector
• For Māori and Pasifika
• The % of EFTS provided by the university sub-sector should be at least on par
with the % of national 15-39 population who are Māori/Pasifika
• At Level 1-7, Level 8+ and for All EFTS
• By 2018
Example:
University sector
Qualification completion
Hard wired targets for parity: University
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Not set at a provider level as with ITPs.
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Set at the sub-sector level.
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The University sub-sector as a whole will achieve the participation targets of
at least 16.8% for Māori and 8.2% for Pasifika by 2018.
•
Course and qualification completion rates to be at least on par with other
learners in that university, at all levels, by 2018.
Monitoring the targets
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Separate monitoring and reporting approach is required.
Tracking tool to monitor progress toward the targets, using the latest available
published provision data has been developed:
o
o
o
trend data as well as the targets
to provide longer term perspective
as new data becomes available through the SDR each year the tracking tool
can be updated and progress toward the targets reviewed
separate reports on Māori and Pasifika participation and achievement
how providers are tracking to parity
narrative on provider approaches and practices which appear most effective
and how they relate to change in participation and achievement.
o
o
o
Expectations and consequences
For performance that is exceeding expectations:
• fewer terms and conditions
• funding paid in advance
• less frequent monitoring
• eligibility for future funding.
For under-performance:
• increased frequency of contact / monitoring / engagement
•with the TEO
•a significant amendment to the TEO’s Plan
• set conditions on funding approved for future Plans
• suspend funding
• revoke funding
• funding recovery
• consider the TEO’s past performance in future funding
allocations (including any discretionary funding for which the
TEO may apply).
Presentation
•
•
•
•
•
Why have parity targets?
Approach underpinning the targets
Issues and intentions
Monitoring progress on the targets
Discussion:
•
•
•
‘Parity’
Pasifika perspectives
When can parity be a reasonable expectation ?
‘Parity’
“It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary
education organisation will ensure that Maori and
Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels
at least on par with other learners”
• The targets cannot be a static number over time, delivery on parity targets
• Parity and the remaining need to address equality, equity, power
- Scott Metcalfe et al. (2007). “…a number of planning paradoxes.”
• Conceptual issues in fusing parity, equality
and equity
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The dominance of an aggregated, system-wide approach
Interrogate whose interests are served by the funding
arrangements in education
Assert the interests of the least advantaged.
• Parity in tertiary education is parity in isolation
-
Locate the tertiary education challenge within the broader
context of Maori and Pasifika economic and social
development in New Zealand, and integrate education reform
with other essential policy measures.
‘Parity’
“It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary
education organisation will ensure that Maori and
Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels
at least on par with other learners”
• The targets cannot be a static number over time
• Delivery on parity targets
• Parity and the remaining need to address equality, equity, power
• Change in the tertiary sector is dependent on change in schools
Parity: School performance affects tertiary performance
‘Parity’
“It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary
education organisation will ensure that Maori and
Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels
at least on par with other learners”
• The targets cannot be a static number over time
• Delivery on parity targets
• Parity and the remaining need to address equality, identity, power
• Change in the tertiary sector is dependent on change in schools
• Parity to whose ends? Pasifika perspectives
Parity, Pasifika and success
Parity, Pasifika and success
Parity, Pasifika and success
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•
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Successful transitions
Continued & accelerated
performance for Pasifika at all levels
Contributing to interagency
collaboration
Using research & evidence more
effectively
‘Parity’
“It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary
education organisation will ensure that Maori and
Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels
at least on par with other learners”
• The targets cannot be a static number over time
• Delivery on parity targets
• Parity and the remaining need to address equality, identity, power
• Change in the tertiary sector is dependent on change in schools
• Parity to whose ends? Pasifika perspectives
• When can parity be a reasonable expectation ?
When can parity be a reasonable expectation ?
• A rationale based on strategic alignment, economics, and
system performance
• Responding to performance patterns to-date
• An approach informed by evidence and analysis
• Targets that are reasonable, fair, simple
• Shaped by internal engagement and external engagement
• Tracked through monitoring and a consequences framework
• In an environment of willingness
Presentation summary
•
•
•
•
•
Why have parity targets?
Approach underpinning the targets
Issues and intentions
Monitoring progress on the targets
Discussion: When can parity be a reasonable
expectation?
Acknowledgements
• Tertiary Education Commission
- Frannie Aston, Helen Lomax, Lisale Falema, Annabel
Lee and Anne Broadbent
- TEC Pasifika Tertiary Working Group
- Sina Aiolupotea-Aiono, Linda Aumua, Malakai
Koloamatangi, John Kotoisuva, Jannitta Pilisi, Analiese
Robertson, and Pale Sauni
• Faculty of Education, The University of British
Columbia
- Department of Educational Studies
- Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and
Training
Thank you. Kia ora. Fa’afetai tele lava.