Friday, March 29, 2024

All the candidates who sat for the 2018 Grade 7 Examination have been selected to Grade 8

Share

Minister of General Education David Mabumba
Minister of General Education David Mabumba

All the 388,331 candidates who sat for the 2018 Grade 7 Composite examination have been selected to Grade 8, bringing the national progression rate to 100 percent from 99.14 percent in 2017.

According to the results released today, there were a total of 239,024 candidates obtaining Divisions 1, 2 and 3 representing 61.53 percent of the total candidates that sat the examination with a total of 149,307 candidates obtained Division 4, the least grade; representing 38.44 percent.

A total of 443,700 candidates entered for the 2018 Grade 7 Composite Examination compared to 400,802 in 2017 representing an increase of 10.7 percent over the candidates that entered for the same examination in 2017.

Announcing the results, General Education Minister David Mabumba said a total of 55,258 candidates were absent from the examination, of whom 26,935 (12.26%) were boys while 28,323 (12.64%) were girls.

Mr. Mabumba said the national absenteeism rate was 12.45 percent, representing an increase of 3.40 percent, from 9.05 percent recorded in 2017.

He said the number of girls that were absent from the examination in the 2017 and 2018 was higher than that of boys.

Mr. Mabumba said this extent of learner absenteeism from the examination is big waste in terms of examination materials which were prepared and printed for these candidates at a huge cost to the government because this examination is free to the learners.

He said the major causes of absenteeism as revealed by the study on learner absenteeism from public examinations conducted by the Examinations Council of Zambia included among others early marriages, teenage pregnancies and inadequate parental involvement in the education of their children.

Mr. Mabumba said further Analysis of results along the lines of gender revealed that boys performed better than girls in all the subjects except English adding that the improvement in the national progression rate is an indication that school places have been created at secondary school level.

He said Government and the Ministry of General Education will continue to focus on providing adequate and appropriate infrastructure to ensure that all learners have the opportunity to access all levels of education- early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary.

Mr. Mabumba said the 2019 Grade 8 learners will report on 14th January, 2019 and a grace period of ten working days have been given to the learners to report to the schools they have been selected to up to 24th January, 2019.

He said the learners, who will not report after the end of the grace period, will forfeit their places.

39 COMMENTS

  1. Great!
    How is this an indicator of availability of school places? “… the national progression rate is an indication that school places have been created at secondary school level.” Because if it is, it will mean govt has always set cutoff points higher because it knew they were no places available.

    • Leakage that is how you can explain this. It is impossible to have a 100% pass rate the poorly educated minister should surely realize this

    • Great result. imagine the way we used to walk 3 km for 7 years then you fail because you used a wrong pencil not H2B?

    • Mr. Mabumba said this extent of learner absenteeism from the examination is big waste in terms of examination materials which were prepared and printed for these candidates at a huge cost to the government because this examination is free to the learners.

      The biggest cost to the nation bwana minister is uneducated citizens ,it’s governments duty to ensure that every Jim and Mary gets some education.

    • Anyone who thinks it is possible to get a genuine 100% pass rate at grade 7 has either never travelled the breadth of this country or has simply some lose screws some children at grade 7 can hardly speak a word in English truly how do u explain 100% pass ???? Are u serious to even give a thumbs down for people questioning this ? U really don’t know your country people …seriously … Shame on you and the Minister

  2. How possible hehehe. It reminds me when I was in grade 1 Term. They told told us you have all passed number one hehehehe

  3. I could be embarrassed to announce such results. You are reminding me of that funny movie where all who applied were accepted. LOL. The cut off point was definitely 50 out of 700 total marks assuming there are 7 subjects. A pity junior secondary school teachers who will be dealing with slow learners. This is not a solution, review the curriculum and integrate vocational skills as some learners are not tailored for academics but hands on skills. Clear indication that government is not willing to invest in quality education, it would rather buy a military presidential jet for one person.

  4. Be grateful of other peoples archievements. When zicas students failed you were still insulting. Now your own sons and daughters nices and nephews have passed you’re still complaining. What type of animals are you.

  5. This is another tactic to avoid the expense of resit by this broke reckless govt of empty tins…even meal allowance have been banned when that educated foooool Luo herself survived on them during her studies!!

  6. Congratulation to all Grade 07 Teachers in Zambia for teaching our children (Grade 07) and make them achieve a 1st world class results leading to all being selected to Grade 08. It has never happened since Independence.

  7. No country in the world has a hundred per cent pass rate unless (1) The set exams were so easy that anybody would just pass (2) The pass mark was lowered to such an extent to allow everyone to pass (3) leakages. Instead of boasting there should be an enquiry.

    • No it is not negativity here, the education standards are seriously being compromised for popularity sake. We must be careful as a country and avoid situation that will come back to haunt us.

  8. I heard a Upnd complaining that the PF had delayed the rains. Then when the rains started that the PF had sent too much rain. You can’t win.

  9. Congratulations to all who sat. My worry is on the high number of absenteeism . there must a way to reduce on this. Those who absent themselves with genuine reasons can be allowed to resit without a penalty. The cost of exam papers is high. My thought

  10. Many of them don’t know how to read and write. I still remember those years when only two or three passes at the school at grade nine level. Those were days not now.

  11. bringing the national progression rate to 100 percent from 99.14 percent in 2017.
    Yaba the progression rate is 100 percent what rate are the tertiary students? Zero? now they will go to universities and adulterate them and our education system will no longer be rated

  12. Do not spend your money carelessly today and new year’s day. All your sons and daugters have qualified to G8. They need new everything. Books, shoes, uniform, expensive fees, expensive transport for those going to boarding schools.

  13. People fail exams even wen they have a full paper leakage. Now what of grade 7 pupils, some don’t even know how to lead..Still wondering..

  14. Though i do not agree that everyone passed in the 2018 grade 7 exams, i am glad that all these candidates will proceed to grade 8 so that atleast they can be exposed to some high levels of learning and knowledge. Iliteracy is killing our developmen as a nation, the more we have people who have been exposed to academic learning, experience and knowledge – the better. However, tertiary education standards needs to be maintained and enhanced to produce quality graduates

  15. The Grade 7 exam doesn’t really have a pass fail criteria. In fact even grade 9 only fails pupils because of lack of school places at senior secondary. There is a difference between passing and selection. Even those who perform badly get selected if there are enough school places. If there were enough schools in Zambia, every child would reach grade 12 at which point they are graded for progression to tertiary education or not.

  16. Honourable mabumba please find time to reflect on what you think, say and tell the nation nothing but the truth.sir for your own information the is no free education in Zambia at allfor for you to lie to an extent of saying”learner absenteeism is costing government huge amount of money, because examinations are free”.sir,no wonder 55,000 plus pupils did not Sat for simple reason.its either they never paid the examinations fee’s or they were chased by your school’s authorities for not having paid school fees.sir only well to-do children’s parents are affording education.

  17. good opportunity for us entrepreneurs in the education sector. this goes to all those teachers that where never picked you are called to serve, create your own school and start doing what you where trained to do. you can start from church, find a hall in the community enroll kids teach. to the seer there is always something he can do, to the pessimist its always not easy, it can’t work etc. you can be the bureaucracy and still be legal. come on!

  18. Corruption scandals: Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Corruption scandals: Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

    Unbelievable that educated bloggers are failing to read between the lines that this is just a deliberate ‘affirmative’ action that no student should leave school and abandoned in year 7. The ‘exams’ thing is just an ‘academic’ rubber stamp waste of time and money. What this will lead to is total abolition of Grade 7 national examinations and just have a local test to gauge progress and basic level.

    Or perhaps exams will still be there just for the sake of placing the students into the right school and classroom (think selective schools/class like sciences).

    Of course it is not about exams but ensuring that every kids continues their education up to high school. To me this is great and it is long overdue. So please stop with the whining and whinging about 100% pass rate…

    • Corruption scandals: Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Corruption scandals: Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

      …So please stop with the whining and whinging about 100% pass rate… obviously the minister could have been more forthright and forthcoming, rather than trying to be shrouded and clever for nothing.

  19. This means if there were some pupils who used to sit in Group 3 of even Group 4 in a class of 60pupils have all passed Ka? imagine

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading