Simon Power - National Party Associate Education Spokesman

9 February 2005

Power welcomes NCEA inquiry

National's Associate Education spokesman, Simon Power, has welcomed a select committee inquiry into political bias in an NCEA question.

The Education and Science select committee this morning voted to hold an inquiry following an NCEA Level 1 History question which asked students to choose two of three people from whose perspective they were to write: two prominent Maori leaders - Dame Whina Cooper and Eva Rickard - and 'A National Party Member of Parliament not sympathetic to Maori concerns'

Mr Power says the question asked students to make assumptions based on an unfair political stereotype.

"These kinds of stereotypes have no place in our schools. Our children should be protected from this kind of overt political propaganda and someone must be held accountable.

"This inquiry will help identify the officials who set the question, and I look forward to seeing them appear before the select committee to explain themselves," says Mr Power.

ENDS

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