Unpacking CALAs

THIS article, our first instalment, is going to address some issues bedevilling learners at secondary school.

Taurai Mandhlazi

I have decided to start by looking at challenges encountered by examination candidates in Ordinary and Advanced Level classes, with particular reference to continuous assessment learning activities (CALAs).

What are the benefits

of CALAs to learners?

This question cannot be answered in a single sentence. Thus, allow me to take you through the long and bumpy ride as we gently unpack everything.

Prior to the implementation of CALAs, candidates used to go through the four-year academic journey to sit the final once-off O-Level examination.

The downs outweighed the ups in that setup, resulting in more candidates failing to make it either at the end of the four-year study period or in the sixth year of high school.

Imagine the devastating impact such an arrangement would have on stakeholders, especially the learners and parents, not to mention the frustration a teacher goes through once candidates fail his/her subject dismally.

The subject teacher or/and the candidate in question are usually subjected to name-calling or labelling.

The school itself is not spared blame.

One is labelled a good teacher by the calibre of learners they have taught at that particular period.

Poor results are a nightmare to all stakeholders, but greater frustration is borne by the respective subject teacher.

In light of the above, it came to the attention of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education that a fair academic playfield must be created within the curriculum, hence the introduction of the CALAs programme from primary school to secondary school.

This marked a departure from the traditional way of conducting public exams.

The only constant thing in life is change yet people remain averse to it.

This speaks volumes about the resistance to such changes, which inevitably is a feature not only in the CALAs setup, but also other facets of business and life in general.

The CALAs setup is not a bed of roses
to the learners and teachers, as well as parents.

The fact that there is no option, learners are literally dragged into this arrangement screaming and kicking, so to speak, thus defeating the whole noble objective of the CALAs programme.

However, CALAs tend to be among the low-hanging fruits in every candidate’s academic orchard.

On the average, prior to sitting final exams in almost every subject, the candidate will have managed to get 30 percent of the marks.

Despite such a positive attribute, candidates will still cry foul over the programme.

We, therefore, need to explore the challenges encountered by the candidates in general.

Below is an account of such challenges presented to our school by learners.

There is an outcry concerning the number of CALA write-ups per subject given that each subject has five of them.

For a candidate who needs to sit 10 subjects, this translates to a whopping 50 well-researched and detailed CALA files.

Now, one may need to establish where exactly the problem is.

The candidates have a myriad of excuses such as the cost associated with such magnitude of write-ups, how time consuming the programme is, inaccessibility to information and communication technology gadgets and other related electronic equipment in order to come up with a professionally prepared write-up.

Parents are louder in this matrix, citing the huge costs associated with the quantity of typed and printed write-ups required, in addition to the general upkeep of their children.

In a nutshell, both the parents and candidates are in need of a reprieve, which can come in two ways — either an abandonment of the CALAs programme in schools or ensuring that there is a sizeable reduction in the number of write-ups per subject.

The grievances put across by the candidates point at a negative attitude, lack of a reading culture or complaining for the sake of it.

Some of these issues could be stemming from inadequate stakeholder involvement prior to implementation of the noble project.

Taurai Mandhlazi has written in his personal capacity. He is the communications, marketing and public relations officer for Munashe High Private School in Mutoko, and can be reached on +263776865616, E-mail: [email protected]