Education Ministry lauded for Junior Primary School’s common examination formulation
LILONGWE– Ministry of Education has been commended for introducing common examinations formulation for schools at junior primary level in the country. Deputy Head Teacher for Kawale F. P School in Kawale Zone in Chitipa, Elifa Chiona said the orientation would equip teachers with new skills which would help them to formulate standardized examinations for…
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Ministry of Education has been commended for introducing common examinations formulation for schools at junior primary level in the country.
Participants gathered for four-day orientation training on development of Common Zonal Examinations for schools made the sentiments Wednesday, February 1, 2023 in Mponela, Dowa.
Deputy Head Teacher for Kawale F.P School in Kawale Zone in Chitipa, Elifa Chiona said the orientation would equip teachers with new skills which would help them to formulate standardized examinations for standard 3 and 4.
She said the orientation has centred on three subjects of English, mathematics and Chichewa within the junior classes.
“I believe this kind of arrangement would help learners to have equal assessment on examinations and this will eliminate issues of gaps between city and rural schools,” Chiona noted.
Deputy Head Teacher for Kasungu Demonstration School, Margret Nyirenda noted that the orientation would bring in additional help to teachers to know the scope of formulating examinations using the agreed syllabus.
“I have noted slight changes with the way we were trained in colleges on how to approach examination formulation and this time around the emphasis is that teachers need to use the syllabus and come up with questions basing on what the learners have been taught in class,” she added.
Coordinating Primary Education Advisor (CPEA) for Phalombe, Paul Stefano said standardized tests are very important to schools because learners would not struggle even if they move from one school to another.
He said the new approach would help to eliminate the gaps which were existing within the schools during the formation of examinations for the junior classes.
Stefano said before formulation of items were not standardized and that few questions were being asked from the syllabus due to a number of factors.
Ministry of Education’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mphatso Nkuonera said common zonal examinations for standards 3 and 4, is part of the components for Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP).
He disclosed that with funding from World Bank, Malawi Government and Global Partnership for Education would facilitate the administration of Common Zonal Tests (CZT) in selected districts and zones.
“Common zonal examinations would help to gauge achievement of learning outcomes and compare achievement of learning outcomes across schools, zones and districts.
“Those schools that may not perform well will pull up their socks in so doing improve service delivery. Not only but also this will help to identify challenges that make male and female perform differently,” said Nkuonera.