The Sunday Mail
Emmanuel Kafe
It is that time of the year again —November exam results season — and whilst in some households there is gnashing of teeth, in others there is boundless joy.
And you have to give it to social media, “chikuru kufema” has become a popular hashtag in the wake of Advanced Level results released about a fortnight ago. The hashtag evolved as consolation to those who scored well below expectations.
Whilst these have been encouraged to “keep on breathing”, there is another class at the top of the standings who have had educationists, social media and the general population talking —those who scored 20 points and above.
Is there any need for such?
Back in the day, it was quite a feat to score 15 points but in a fashion that mimics inflation, the 15-pointers are no longer in vogue. Today students outwit each other with 20 points, 25 points —and, of course, 30 points.
Where next? 45 points? 50 points? 60 points?
While going the extra mile is plausible, observers have argued that there is a thin line between determination and unnecessary extravagance.
For example, Tapiwa Marinda of Dewure High School and Tapiwa Dzviriri of Pamushana Secondary School got their 30 points in the just ended 2017 academic year.
Wilbert Mbiza acquired 28 points from Rusununguko High while Royson Masike and Tanaka Rushambwa, both from St Faiths High in Manicaland, attained 27 and 25 points respectively.
Twenty-five more students were 16-pointers and above. Can too much of a good thing be considered bad?
They were doing more than just the customary three subjects.
In the midst of such good results, the pass rate for 2017 decreased to 82,6 percent from 84,2 percent in 2016.
And should the publication by the national examination board, Zimsec, two weeks ago, of a list of students who scored 15 points and above, be seen as a salient manner in classifying schools?
Previously, Zimsec used to run the Top 100 list, a practice which drew the ire of some, as this exposed the “poor” schools.
Whilst the attention is not whether Zimsec should classify schools or not, questions have been raised over the 30 points — are such high scores really necessary?
Besides, which combination of subjects would these pupils be doing, a combination of subjects that indicate a well thought-out and defined career path?
Despite burning the candles well into the night studying these various subjects, the points they racked in did not give them any considerable advantage over those who attempted the conventional three subjects at A-Level.
Renowned educationist and the brains behind the newly implemented curriculum, Dr Caiphus Nziramasanga says the number of subjects tackled have no bearing on university placements beyond the required minimum.
“Some of these results are a waste of time, children work themselves to death but at the end of the day the university require a minimum of three subjects or even two,” he said.
He added that examinations, although they may tell us what a person is capable of, should also be able to tell who a person really is. “People tend to associate examinations with intelligence when in actual fact they should be associating examinations with complete humanness, a complete being.
“Students may have such incredible good grades and still go on to do nothing with the results because they lack that completeness of a person,” he said.
On the contrary, he said the issue of whether children should be restricted to only three conventional subjects at A-Level or not is still debatable.
Another educationist, Professor Rueben Dzingirai, is of the view that more is better. He said in some instances, it is good for a child to do more than three subjects at A-Level as it widens the student’s theoretical competence.
“This might help them to see some important facets of life clearly because of the knowledge they get from various academic fields.
“But generally, the point system is just a means of selecting students into university,” he said. Mr Leornard Gosa, a former lecturer of a local university, said the illusion that those who emerge with saturated flying colours at A-Level will automatically transcend to greater heights does not always manifest in real-life situations.
He said: “Some are not even capable of completing a university degree, compared to someone who would have come with lower grades from A-Level.
“Those with lower grades perform better and have high chances of coming up with first class degrees than the ones with flying colours. “A-Level results can be deceiving and promotes laziness when the students finally get to university,” he said.
A senior lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Technical Education, Dr Peter Kwaira, said the numerous points garnered are a liability if they do not translate to national development.
“Africa and Zimbabwe in particular suffers from the ‘diploma syndrome’ and it’s a tragedy that people are now stampeding for PhDs and even aspiring to be philosophers.
He believes that such people have problems when it comes to work-related learning or even when they get employed; arguing that they are totally clueless in some instances.
“We should look at how productive we are with those results because in the near future we are going to have a high population of qualified people who will not translate to national development of the country.”
Experts concur that children with lower grades seem to perform better than those with higher grades, and that results should be beyond points, and look at what a person can do with or without the grades.
Dr Kwaira considers that as one progresses towards tertiary education, there is a need to narrow down subjects to an area of specialty.
He also said there is need for a comprehensive content review of what is being taught because some of the material is now outdated.
“Our education and training should be up-to-date. Let us be worried about the quality of what is being taught rather than the quantity of grades that people are racking in when they reach Advanced Level,” he said.
Career guidance also seems to be a huge area that needs to be addressed.
Some parents coerce their children into carrying heavy loads at A-Level.
Although some are lucky enough to get the desired results, some exploits leave the children socially and psychologically bruised. Some sociologists have encouraged parents to desist from using their children to prop their social standing. They say too much schooling can affect one’s social life. It can possibly ruin relationships with family members and friends. Zimbabwe prides itself in an adult literacy rate which is above 90 percent and is one of the highest in Africa, according to latest reports.
However, despite the impressive literacy rate, the unemployment rate, which is a stark contrast, tells a different story.
Should parents nurture a theoretically competent child or someone who is technically sound?
What could be the reasons behind the recent high grades at A-Level? Should there be a comprehensive content review?
As the nation awaits the release of November’s Ordinary Level results, these are some of the questions in most people’s minds.
