The Sunday Mail
The proposed new grading system has gotten the education experts talking, with Zimbabweans showing great interest in the development of their schooling system.
The Primary and Secondary Education Ministry is reviewing the schools’ curriculum, a process which began in October 2014.
In the zero draft curriculum framework, a new grading system is proposed. It will see Grade 7 final grades determined by 50 percent of continuous assessment and the other 50 percent based on national examinations.
On completion of Ordinary Level, the framework proposes that learners’ grades be based on 40 percent theoretical examination, 30 percent practical examinations and 30 percent continuous assessment.
University of Zimbabwe Technical Education lecturer Dr Peter Kwaira says the proposals are a positive development as they will help rid the country of graduates who lack practical and entrepreneurial skills.
“During the colonial era, the whites had two education systems, one which focused on the practical side while the other on the theoretical side.
“The black masses were needed for labour thus they received practical education only with the theoretical element which provided critical thinking.
“The same system has been used since Independence and the standard of graduates we have been producing lacks entrepreneurial skills.
“The new grading system will produce students who have the ability to think critically and to create jobs and wealth,” he contends.
Dr Kwaira says the system proposed here now has worked in China, Japan, Singapore and England and their economies have benefited.
However, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Mr Takavafira Zhou foresees chaos.
“The main problem is that the whole process was done by officials in the Ministry of Education and there was no input from parents, teachers and students,” he points out.
“I do not think teachers are in the know of how this will work and if the new system is passed, it means teachers will have to be trained, a process that will need money.
“The question now is, are the resources available?
“I foresee an issue of trying to reinvent the education wheel and this might produce problems for the already ailing and fragile sector.
“These additions are bound to add confusion in the already chaotic and shambolic examination system.
“In my view, I think the Government should leave the grading system the way it is, while working in other areas.”
But Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Professor Mavhima underscores the importance of reviewing the education system despite limited resources.
He says the proposed grading system will help track a learner’s performance from Early Childhood Development to Advanced Level, which will determine if he/she needs academic or technical/vocational training.
“What we are hoping to do is to come up with a new student profile that follows the student from Early Childhood Development, all the way to Advanced Level,” Prof Mavhima said.
“Throughout the educational career of the student, we will be profiling the student, indicating the performance of the student at every level, so I do not think we will have much of a problem, as we almost had a precursor to that through the reporting system.
“No school will ever take in a student without seeing their school reports, and we are happy that almost all of our schools now have reports for student, which are almost like their profiles.”
The review of the school curriculum started last year as part of efforts to strengthen a needs-driven education system.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora has said the current curriculum lacks balance as the core subjects are largely academic, covering Geography, English, Literature, Mathematics, Science and History.
Dr Dokora has been advocating for a needs-driven education system with a strong scientific, vocational and technical bias while stressing a robust values framework.
Mr Zhou agrees with the need to stop considering Mathematics, English and Science as core subjects.
“The ‘5 O-Levels’ system was a colonial set-up, which wanted to remove black people from the academic education and the system needs to be abolished,” he said.
“It is not necessary for a student wants to pursue the vocational education to follow that path.
“These requirements must met by those taking the academic and technical education.”
Dr Kwaira hopes Government will balance academics and vocational training.
“Subjects such as Maths, Science, English and local languages are critical and every learner should have these subjects,” he says.
“They create a student who can think critically and at the same time can create jobs.”
And Dr Kwaira emphasises the need for Government to consult more than it presently does.
“The ministry should come up with a curriculum that is not rigid, something that will not frustrate the students; that is why the students, teachers and parents should be involved in every step of the process.”
