The latest Education NCEA results are pretty embarrassing to be honest. The headline says it all – “29 teachers leave: Mokoroa explains teacher shortage and declining results – Cook Islands News”, writes Te Tuhi Kelly.

I’ve been talking about an education reset for a number of years now and I have to say the fact that our education system is in serious decline indicates all is not well.

You would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to come to the conclusion that despite all the glossy education strategies over the years, it just ain’t working. Flogging the same old dead horse comes to mind.

You will not arrest the decline if you are always relying on those in the education system with their noses so close to the grindstone, they cannot see that what they propose is failing, again and again.

It is not just about education; it is also about capacity development and capacity building of our children so that they are armed with the skill sets that our business community needs.

The Ministry is stuck in the same tired cycle of patching, fixing, tweaking and meanwhile our standards continue to slide.

Enough is enough. We cannot keep applying band aids to a system that’s no longer fit for purpose. What we need now is bold, decisive action.

That’s why I’m putting forward this proposal (again) for a full reset of our education system:

One central “cradle-to-career” campus at Tereora, from Early Childhood right through to High School/College, with clear pathways into:

• Tertiary education - Uni

• Technical - Trades

• Life skills and personal development

Our language and culture is in decline, being replaced by cultural entertainment and so I propose that Te reo and culture are compulsory subjects up to Year 9, thereby ensuring our language, history and identity are protected and passed on.

We need to repurpose and consolidate underused schools, transforming them into Tereora satellite units as well as USP satellite campuses focused on producing graduates with skills our economy urgently needs – hospitality, tourism, trades, digital technology, environmental management, business, and leadership.

We need to redirect savings from streamlining the system directly into proper salaries for our teachers, rewarding performance and lifting the whole profession.

By the time our children get to year 9, they need to have had an individual capacity needs assessment to highlight educational strengths and weaknesses so that the curriculum can be tailored to meet their needs. Thereby identifying which of the post-college pathways that suits them, i.e. tertiary, trades or life skills and thus further academic, business or life skills education.

At the moment it is hit or miss whether they pass NCEA or not. We have huge talent that is going begging because we have a one size fits all approach to education and fixated on NCEA qualifications.

It’s long overdue and time to design an education system that works for our people, our economy, and our future – not just a handful of academics, but for the real world our kids are entering. We can’t afford to keep doing the same things and expect better results. This is about smart investment, careful planning, and having the courage to make hard calls for the good of our nation.

I talk a lot about running government “like a business with a social conscience”. Education is the first place to prove we mean it and Tereora Campus is the direction we should be focusing on.

We need to ask ourselves – is NCEA the be all end all or should we be looking at an NCEA that along with capacity development meets our unique needs that align with the post-college three pathways for our children’s ongoing career development.

Imagine the Cook Islands leading the Pacific with a modern, innovative and high-performing education system.

Why not us?

It will take energy, innovation and a leave no stone unturned, and every problem becomes a challenge, that’s how we approach this by reshaping education for the next generation.

• Te Tuhi Kelly is the leader of the Progressive Party of the Cook Islands. The views expressed in this opinion piece are his and not necessarily of this newspaper.