The chairperson of a high school board in Christchurch says the New Zealand Qualifications Authority needs to reassure students they will not fail due to problems caused by recent earthquakes.
The city has been badly damaged following quakes on 4 September last year and a fatal quake on 22 February.
Burnside High School is one of three colleges sharing sites with schools damaged in the February quake.
The chairperson of the board of trustees, Conan Fee, says class times have been shortened so both schools can use the same site.
Mr Fee says students have already lost at least three weeks of schooling and may have to drop study units because they have little time to catch up.
He says the authority needs to tell senior students, including those competing for entry into university courses, whether it will allow them to pass with fewer credits.
The authority's deputy chief executive says it is looking at ways of helping students struggling to catch up, including an appeals process for school leavers.
Bali Haque says the authority should have a shortlist this week.
