Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Youths have urged the Government to concentrate on improving the school curriculum than introducing more exams.
In a statement circulated to the Media, New Hope MMD National Youth Secretary Mr. Gregory Mofu said that there is a huge number of Pupils who sit for Grade 7 who can’t read and write.
“We in the New Hope MMD Youth League, have received the proposed introduction of Grade 4 assessment and examinations with uttermost shock and surprise. A number of Pupils who sit for grade 7 cannot read and write for various reasons. What makes them think that one who can fail at Grade 7 can pass a Grade 4 examination? We find it shocking that instead of sorting out the problem behind this, they want to create more problems”, Mr. Mofu said.
Mr. Mofu called upon the Government to find out what is leading to a high number of Grade 7 examination failures.
“From the information, we have gathered, we understand that the Government through the Ministry of General Education has come up with this proposal to reduce the high number of Pupils who fail the Grade 7 examinations. However, we are of the view that this has nothing to do with lack of previous examinations but has more to do with other factors like the school curriculum. We would like to urge the government to find out the root cause for high drop out rates”, Mr. Mofu said.
Mr. Mofu further called upon the Government to improve the school curriculum.
“Lastly but we would like to call upon the Government to immediately improve the school curriculum. We are of the view that the curriculum in its current form is outdated and is among the main reasons why there is a high rate of failure at the various examinations levels including Grade 7. So we find the proposed Grade 4 examinations as a misguided missile, which might come to hurt us more”, Mr. Mofu said.
We have it before and will say it again that it is either PF has run out of ideas or Ideas have run out of PF.
The party has failed to govern.
We need Change…Viva UPND
This is very true, the ministry of education should work on the curriculum not another exam class, this will worsen the number of pupils who fail to reach just grade 7, such ideas comes to minds of the people who live in town where there kids start school from pre, not someone who grew up in the village,in our days I started grade one when I was 14years walking 16-20 kilometers in the bush, I feel sorry for our kids in the rural areas.
Greatest news to date in 2020! Quality Education, rather than Quantity Education! This consideration is long over due. A time has also come whereby the Nation seriously looks at Skills Training – rather than looking only at Academic and Professional Education. Skills training must commence at the earliest development stages of children. Let university education be availed to the cream, the most academically talented, and not to dunderheads! The Nation needs, from the low level, bricklayers , carpenters, blacksmiths, artisans, technicians, technologists et al, not only academicians and professional at the highest level!
take care of the teachers. they are critically essential to the future of Zambia. pay them well. they do wonders with the little they have (most of them anyways) it’s not easy teaching children how to read/write. my own sister is a teacher teaching grades 1 &2 I’ve visited her classrooms, not easy at all
there’s nothing wrong with having kids be assessed in whatever grade they are, I am not opposed to that. assess the kids in a fair and transparent way, involve their parents and caregivers. help those who are falling behind. assessments are a good way of determining where one is at and will also help the teachers focus on individual child’s area of weakness
Its not a matter of introducing grade 4 exams to Improve the grade 7 pass rate, first things first, what is the root cause of this failure rate? What makes the pupils in grade 7 fail to read and write?
HINT: Home extra lessons????? Food for thought, for now.
Does anyone even understand what education is? What does improve curriculum mean? Examination is not assessment. Surely there are so many educated people who should be consulted on such decisions. What is the basis for the decision the govt is making? Is it based on some valid studies from objective bodies like SACMEQ? I do hope it is an item for discussion, not a policy decision. Changes in education affect human beings for the rest of their lives. That is always forgotten.
Mofu,
Your knowledge of Zambia’s history is evidently very limited. In the early days, the education system at primary level had two levels: lower primary, from Sub A to Standard 2; and upper primary from Standard 3 to 6. In 1965, Standard 6 was phased out and Grade 7 introduced. At that time, pupils used for examinations in Standard 2 (the equivalent to Grade 4) in order to qualify for upper primary education. Those who failed had to repeat. By the time pupils got to Grade 7 or Standard 6, they could read and write a variety of materials in pretty good English. These days it’s not uncommon to meet a Grade 12 who struggles to write even in his own mother tongue! Is this what you want?
They should just measure reading and writing levels at that point not exams!
We implore the PF GRZ to introduce an environmental awareness subject at primary level so that all Zambians who pass through our primary school education, which must be atleast 98% of the population , are aware of environmental cleanliness , garbage disposal, conservation and climate change and nationalism ( the importance of buy Zambian , build Zambia )
Only when this is taught in primary schools will we see a dramatic change in cleanliness , conservation and support for Zambian produced products.
It’s a proposal so now we expect our friends in opposition to come with constructive feedback and ideas if they don’t agree. It is not helpful to just disagree and fail to give possible solutions like one well known opposition usually does. Kz
Kaizer Zulu, what time do you do your state House work. You worst time commenting on each issue. As a person in Government focus on delivering!