David Seymour: Deputy Prime Minister on school leavers, Labour declining requests to collaborate on the NCEA reform

The Deputy Prime Minister says he'd sack Willow Jean-Prime for declining numerous Government requests for collaboration on NCEA reform. 

Documents show Labour's education spokesperson declined an advisor's meeting and didn't answer a text and multiple emails from Education Minister Erica Stanford regarding planned changes to NCEA. 

David Seymour told Mike Hosking if he were Labour's leader, he would drop her because there are better people for the job.  

He says he wouldn't know what to do because she may be the best option that Labour has.  

Seymour says we need alternative schooling options to keep students in schools, with more than ten and a half thousand students leaving school last year with no educational qualifications. 

Ministry of Education data reveals 16% didn't achieve NCEA Level 1 or above – 6% more than in 2017. 

He told Hosking the education system has become less appealing because children don't believe they're missing something valuable.  

There's also ethnic disparity, with 28% of Māori school leavers having achieved no qualifications, compared to 19% of Pacific leavers and 14% of Pākehā leavers. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.