The National Action for Quality Education in Zambia has urged government to stop printing exam papers abroad.
Organisation Executive Director Aaron Chansa says the trend does not only manage to export capital and jobs away from Zambia but also denies an opportunity for Zambians to acquire important engineering and printing skills which this exercise would present if done locally.
Mr. Chansa said his Organisation finds the current practice of printing national examination papers out of the country strange and very inimical to skills development and government’s desire to industrialize for job creation.
“We are also aware that printing exam papers abroad is costing the country three times more than it would spend if papers were printed at government printers”, he added.
He said NAQEZ is further aware that at the moment, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the only Countries in the region still printing exam papers abroad and think that this is degrading and an assault to our 54 years of political Independence as a nation.
Mr. Chansa said the practice must be curtailed and allow public resources to remain inside the country for skills development and economic growth.
“We don’t agree with the thinking that Zambia has no capacity to print these papers. To this effect, our organization pleads with the Minister of General Education and his Permanent Secretary to critically consider our call and act in order to save billions of Kwacha”, he said.
Mr. Chansa said once this money is saved, ECZ will enhance security in examination management and Begin to handsomely motivate teachers who invigilate national exams.
He said the council will also be in a better position to pay markers of these exams on time adding that the saved funds would eventually enable the Examinations Council of Zambia to ultimately build its own printing facility for future assignments.
This practice began in 2013 and the desire was to cure the mischief of exam leakages in the country.
Before 2013, the printing was done within the country by Government printers. ECZ at first went to Britain to print exam papers and currently the exercise is done in India.
Exam leakages have now reached catastrophic levels. The suspension of national exams last year by the Minister of General Education stands as a classic example to the escalation of this retrogressive vice.
It’s a non starter
That decision was made by PF again.
But there was leakeage just last year.
Exams can even printed by The Mast Newspaper, they print alot of newspapers daily without leakeage.
I have always had a solution for this exam paper leakage saga though not 100% full proof, but one has to have good knowledge of the subject beat it.
My solution is that the Exam board should print at least 10 sets of each exam paper for each subject and then randomly select three sets for each subject to be delivered to exam centers 5 days before exams start. Then on the day of the exam the exam board will issue an instruction as to which paper out of the three sets should be issued to candidates. For example if you have 3 maths paper 1 exam paper with batch no. MP1A MP1B and MP1C. On the exam day the board decides that MP1B should be written. Then the remaining ones should returned for future used for the next exam.
This system would work well because one candidate would needs to…
cont.
This system would work well because one candidate would needs to prepare answers for at least 3 papers of each subject to beat the system. And for the candidate to remember the answers he/she must be in that subject. The candidates who have the habit of writing answers on their thighs or hands would then need the who body to have answers for all the possible papers for just in case. Imagine how hard this can be!
Try my solution and see how it would perform. There is no need to print exams abroad.
Ba Chanda don’t start what you can’t finish. With all these leaks you want to add more loopholes???
I’m sure you want to say
but also denies an opportunity for Zambians to leak more papers
Which exams exactly? The grades 1 – 9 or the final grade 12? Imagine how much more leakage there would be if printed locally? Exams are not ballot papers. They need to be printed in a place where security is assured. Let the learners compete fairly. Create jobs with printing books for schools. What specific skill is required with exams that is not available with other printed materials? The suggestion is invalid. Find other ways to get tenders.
Government printers is lying idle. Give them jobs to print exam papers and ballot sheets.
Whether printed abroad or home …this gang of Grade 7 thugs will leak them!!