In response to the claim that NCEA Level 1 is being "dumbed down", Education Minister Jan Tinetti says she has been told by other schools that the changes to NCEA are "giving a more robust nature to the framework". On Thursday, the St Cuthbert's College Principal told Checkpoint it lacks rigour, and will not prepare students for higher learning. Tinetti told Checkpoint she's heard from teachers "quite worked up" on the issue who say the students they've seen involved in the NCEA changes are entering NCEA Level 2 more "with a far more grounded and robust knowledge". She says the updated qualification has been strongly tested and worked through.