ENOUGH TIME TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS - EPA

MBABANE – There’s no need to panic, teachers will have enough time to prepare pupils for the exams.
This is just what many parents, especially those with pupils in external classes, want to hear.

There have been concerns on whether teachers will be able to cover the syllabus on time for pupils to sit for their exams. It would seem these concerns have been allayed following the closure of schools with intent to minimise the spread of COVID-19, which was first discovered in Wuhan, China in November last year.

The schools were closed in March this year and government has since proposed the reopening of external classes on July 6, 2020, starting with Form Vs. Eswatini Principals Association President Welcome Mhlanga said as far as they were concerned, teachers would have enough time to prepare pupils for the final examination.

Optimism

Mhlanga said the optimism was informed by the commitment from teachers in schools around the country. He made an example that some teachers would normally finish the syllabus three months before schedule and utilise the remaining time for revision.

“There is no reason to worry, teachers will have enough time to prepare pupils for the final examination,” Mhlanga said on national radio yesterday morning.  He added that in some schools, teachers were ahead with preparations for the reopening of schools. The president also observed that there was 100 per cent attendance after government ordered all high school teachers to report to their various schools in readiness for reopening this week.

However, Mhlanga stated that in as much as teachers had to remain strong, they also feared COVID-19 just like the pupils. He called upon government to provide psychological assistance as they executed their duties.
Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza was asked on how far the ministry agreed with Mhlanga. In her response, the minister said the ministry fully concurred with the association.

Mabuza pointed out that a final examination was a collection of what pupils covered in the previous syllabus. She made an example that part of the Form V examination includes what pupils learnt in Form IV. “I hope you can agree with me that some teachers finish the syllabus even before pupils sit for their mock examination.

Examination

“If schools closed in March, there is a possibility that some teachers were about to finish the syllabus,” Mabuza said.  Worth noting is that government has suggested that schools should use weekends and holidays to try and recover the time lost during the temporary closure. 

Meanwhile, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) viewed the EPA’s statement as an over-exaggeration that could give emaSwati the impression that the temporary closure of schools had no effect at all.  SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini said there was a difference between principals and head teachers, which was why EPA could come up with such a statement.  Dlamini stated that as far as he was concerned, head teachers referred to the teachers who headed schools and also taught pupils, whereas principals were those who administered schools without teaching.

He said head teachers could agree with SNAT that EPA was over-generalising things. Dlamini stated that subjects taught in schools differed as some required practicals within the syllabus. He made an example of Geography, stating that the subject could not be finished before the stipulated time.
“I think the best way to respond to this question will be saying the situation will depend on the teachers. Teachers are professionals and I hope they will prioritise to ensure that critical chapters are covered before the final examination. Saying that we have enough time portrays that nothing bad had happened yet there was a big loss,” he said.

Questions

He said an added advantage to the pupils was that some subjects allowed them to choose questions during the final examination. Some parents partly agreed with Mhlanga while others held a different view. Those who agreed with Mhlanga stated that it was possible that there was enough time to prepare pupils for the final examination.

“I made sure that my children participated in the learning programmes, which were initiated by government. I listened to the programmes and I can attest that pupils can make sense out of them. I believe the online learning programmes initiated by some schools have played a vital role in preparing pupils for the examination. Preparing for an examination is not about going to class. It is all about making use of the material,” said Sipho Tfwala.

Others felt that some pupils would be hugely affected by the three months loss of learning. They stated that some pupils understood better if there was a teacher in front of them.

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