Greens say thousands could fail under NCEA shake-up.

Thousands of students could be left without a recognised qualification under the Government’s plan to scrap NCEA, the Greens say.

The warning comes after the Government confirmed it will replace NCEA with an entirely new school qualification system from 2028.

Under the changes, Year 11 students will work towards a new foundational literacy and numeracy award.

Year 12 students will sit the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE).

Year 13 students will complete the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE).

The Government says the changes will make school qualifications simpler, clearer and more internationally comparable.

It also says the new system will better match its push for a “knowledge-rich curriculum”.

But the Greens say the overhaul could hit vulnerable students hardest.

Green Party education spokesperson Lawrence Xu-Nan said the reforms risked “dooming thousands of students to failure”.

He said the Government was forcing young people into a rigid education model that would not work for everyone.

According to the Greens, students most at risk include Māori, Pasifika, disabled, neurodivergent and rural learners.

Xu-Nan said many students succeed because NCEA allows more flexible assessment pathways.

He warned removing that flexibility could leave some students behind.

The Government has already tightened qualification rules in recent years.

New literacy and numeracy co-requirements have been introduced, along with tougher achievement standards and stricter credit requirements across NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3.

Students now face higher hurdles to gain qualifications than under the previous model.

The Greens say instead of improving NCEA, the Government is dismantling the system entirely.

Xu-Nan said education should be built around how different students actually learn, rather than forcing everyone into the same model.

The new qualification system is expected to begin rolling out from 2028.