Argue that standardisation will lead to generation of illiterate leaders, 'specialists'
Civic organisations in the country yesterday vehemently criticised government’s decision to nullify 2012 Form Four national examination results, arguing that the grading system used wasn’t the key factor leading to students’ mass failure.
The organisations asked the report on the findings and recommendations of the select National Commission of Inquiry into the 2012 Students’ Failure be made public.
The civic bodies group Hakielimu, Policy Forum, Sikika, Tanzania Education Society (TenMet) and the Tanzania Gender Network Program (TGNP).
Reading a joint statement HakiElimu Executive Director Elizabeth Missokia said that the standardisation of the results will lead to generation of illiterate leaders and specialists.
She said that the use of the new grading system should not be considered as the only factor behind the students’ failure because there were many other factors which have been pointed out since 2009.
“Apart from the new grading system there are a lot of weaknesses in the education sector and the public education system which for several years have been repeatedly pointed out by civic societies, educationists, activists and other stakeholders but the government has taken no measures to redress the situation,” Missokia said.
She pointed out some of the weaknesses as lack of enough qualified teachers, especially for science subjects, poor motivation of the available teachers in public schools, limited understanding of the requirements of the 2005 competence based curriculum and syllabus, which is currently in use.
Most public schools, she said, are operating without enough teaching and learning materials such as text books and science laboratory equipment.
Another drawback is the use of English language as the medium of instruction in secondary schools, which is not adequately mastered by both teachers and students.
The HakiElimu head stressed that the long time weaknesses in the education sector led to mass failures which have been noticed since 2009 when 27.5 percent of the candidates scored Division Zero, while in year 2010 the number increased to 49.6 percent.
In year 2011 the number slightly improved to 46.4 percent before it tumbled to 60.5 percent last year.
Missokia said between 2009 and 2011, 86.9 percent of all candidates who sat for the Form Four exams in the country scored between Divisions Four and Zero.
“By simply nullifying the last year’s results without allowing public discussion of the report, the government seems to be suggesting that if there are any other factors behind the poor results, then they are not as significant as the issue of the grading system,” she explained.
Policy Forum Manager Alex Modest said that he was wondering why the government took the urgent decision while there was a commission which was supposed to bring the recommendations and the actual reasons for the failures.
He said that the standardisation of the results in order to increase the number of successful students isn’t the permanent solution as the effects will still exist in the future when the students join higher-learning institutions.
Japhet Makongo, one of the HakiElimu founders, said that children need a strong foundation of education for their future lives.
He said the current education system has been turned to a drama which will endanger the lives of future generations.
The Coordinator of the Tanzania Education Network (Ten/Met) Cathleen Sekwao said according to most of her researches on the poor performance in secondary schools, the use of English language was one among the main factors leading to students’ failure.
She urged the government to ensure a smooth transition of language from the primary to secondary level to make students understand what is taught in class.
Last week the government announced the nullification of last year’s Form Four exam results attributing the students’ mass failure to the new grading system by the state-run National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA).
A commission formed by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda established that NECTA had used a new grading system that led to the mass failures.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
