New Zealand’s education system is in a state of flux, and for good reason. For years, the push toward higher education has been relentless, with an unspoken expectation that every student should aim for a university degree. The idea of skipping university and heading straight into a trade or vocational career? That’s been treated as a backup plan rather than a legitimate first choice.
This mindset has come at a cost. It has led to what’s known as qualification inflation, where degrees have become the norm—even for jobs that historically never required them. It sounds like a positive step forward, right? More education, a more skilled workforce? But in reality, it’s created a system where degrees are often necessary just to get a foot in the door, not because the job requires university-level training, but because so many people now have degrees that employers feel they need to raise the bar.
Experts Sound the Alarm on University Readiness
Meanwhile, literacy levels are dropping. University lecturers have been sounding the alarm, with some even describing new students as “functionally illiterate.” That’s not to say these students aren’t intelligent or hardworking—far from it. The problem is that the current education system is allowing them to progress without ensuring they have strong literacy and numeracy skills. The focus has been on getting students into university rather than preparing them for it.
Dr Bronwyn Wood from Victoria University argues that New Zealand’s NCEA university entrance system is too relaxed. It’s no secret that in today’s digital age, literacy has suffered across the board, but the looseness of the NCEA structure has made the problem worse. Dr Wood, along with other education experts, believes the system needs firmer literacy and numeracy requirements to ensure students are truly ready for university-level work.
Canterbury University’s Dr Mike Grimshaw recently voiced concerns that many first-year students arrive on campus without the basic reading and writing skills needed to succeed. This aligns with findings from a 2020 UNICEF report, which showed that nearly 65% of 15-year-olds in New Zealand had only basic proficiency in reading and maths.
University Isn’t the Only Path to Success
For decades, New Zealand’s education reforms have focused on making tertiary education more accessible, with student loans, an expansion of university programs, and an increasing number of degrees offered by polytechnics. However, accessibility without quality control is dangerous. If students graduate with a degree but lack the skills needed for the workforce, they end up in low-skilled jobs with debt they can’t repay—a lose-lose situation.
At the same time, vocational training has taken a hit. The assumption that a degree is the ultimate goal has pushed many young people away from trades and technical careers, despite these being some of the most in-demand jobs in the country. The irony is while university graduates struggle to find well-paying work in oversaturated fields, the construction and trade sectors are desperate for skilled workers.
If we continue allowing students to graduate without the necessary skills, the problem of qualification inflation will only get worse. It’s time to rethink what we value in education. Pushing students toward degrees they don’t need without ensuring they have the literacy and numeracy skills to succeed is a disservice to them and the economy. Strengthening NCEA’s standards might mean some students fail in the short term, but in the long term, it’s the only way to ensure young New Zealanders are truly prepared for the workforce—whether they go to university or not.
