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Source: ONE News -
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Questions are being asked whether New Zealand's educational gap is finally closing after boys turned out to be some of NCEA's highest achievers last year.
Boys have traditionally been the underdogs of the education system, outperformed by girls at every level.
Of the eight premier scholarship winners this year, seven were boys coming from a mixture of boys and co-ed, private and public schools.
Saint Kentigern graduate Asher Emmanuel was one of them, scoring a $30,000 scholarship for his effort.
Emmanuel said it was not until his last two years of school, that he became something of a high achiever.
"I thought a little bit more about how I learn as a person. I'm very much an auditory learner, I like to sit and talk and discuss things, and so I try to learn in that way," says Emmanuel.
Wellington College Principal Roger Moses says competition is the key to boys doing well in the classroom.
"Boys respond very well to something which is competitive," says Moses.
He says he is starting to see some boys push themselves further, mainly those already in the academic elite.
"Bright boys, hardworking boys, are responding very well to a specific challenge of scholarship where there's money on offer; where there is the prestige of doing well. Boys are responding well in that kind of context. I still think we've got a long way to go for the rest of the schooling," says Moses.
And Moses may be right about that observation. While boys are performing well at the very top, they are still struggling elsewhere.
While overall NCEA results for 2009 are not publicly available yet, 2008's results show that girls outperformed boys at every single level.
Of students who went for NCEA level 1, 2, or 3 or university entrance, around 10% more girls than boys actually succeeded.
Ministry Of Education spokesman Tony Turnock admits it's a problem
"Early indicators do suggest that boys are going to have some issues & we've got some issues around early disengagement, some issues around reading," says Turnock.
And teachers say a change in teaching style is needed, when educating boys.
"Boys don't see it as cool to read, and I think that's a stereotype we need to defeat, because NCEA is all about writing and about 80% of the assessments you do are about putting your thoughts and your knowledge into writing," says teacher Alison Derbyshire.
Derbyshire and fellow teacher Nicola are working with the government on an online tool to help educators better cater to boys.
"Boys and girls are different, it's a simple truth. When you factor it into your teaching, it can make a big difference and there's not enough people treating boys and girls differently in education for them to be successful," says Derbyshire.
They also encourage boys to be proactive about their learning.
