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HEAD TEACHERS: PUPILS NOT READY FOR EXAMS

04/08/2021 08:52:00 BY STANLEY KHUMALO

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MANZINI – As schools reopen on Monday, there is a dilemma on the academic fate of pupils as head teachers believe they are not ready for examinations.

External classes are expected to first have oral examination assessments and under normal circumstances, these are undertaken in the last week of August or beginning of September. The concerns of the head teachers are that learners only had about 60 days of face-to-face learning this year as schools reopened on March 29, 2021, after an impromptu closure on March 17, 2020. The schools had been closed since June 29, 2021, after the then Acting Prime Minister (PM), Themba Masuku, announced that the third wave of COVID-19 had hit the country.

Rotational

They are expected to reopen next Monday (August 9, 2021). During this closure, pupils are said to have lost about 40 days of learning, amid on rotational basis as means to avoid large groups which could propel the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary General of the Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA) Siphasha Dlamini said if it were her choice, the Ministry of Education and Training would consider the reopening of schools next Monday as the first term. She said this would then mean pupils would be assessed through final examinations next August. This, she said, was because pupils sitting for their Form III external examinations only had classes for the whole duration of an academic year when they were in Form I.

Classes

“Last year, pupils who were not sitting for their external exams didn’t attend classes, but were tutored through media platforms such that they were not assessed,” Dlamini said. This year, she said, they had only had about 60 days of face-to-face learning despite that they were expected to sit for their external examinations soon. Dlamini said it was the same case with pupils who were to sit for their external examinations in Form V. This, she said, was because the learners last had time to engage and learn fully in class when they were in Form III. “The examinations that they are meant to sit for are for lessons that are taught in three and two years, respectively. So, what have they learnt for them to be assessed?” she asked rhetorically. Dlamini said if it were her choice, all the external examinations would be suspended; more so, because there had been no communication on whether examinations would be shifted.

On the other hand, Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga said they were anticipating engaging on the issue of external examinations with the ministry before the end of the week. Mhlanga expressed uncertainty on whether the meeting would result in the scrapping of external examinations for this year; mostly the curriculum that is set locally. He acknowledged that COVID-19 had altered the education system schedule in the country. Mhlanga said they had raised the issues and they were hoping that in the meeting of stakeholders in the education sector, the challenges would be discussed.

Results

“We’ve raised concerns and we hope that the meeting will yield results which may include cancelling of external examinations, especially the local ones or the extension of timelines. This will need to follow the relevant steps for implementation,” Mhlanga said. He said the biggest challenge was that there was minimal time for lessons and a way forward needed to be forged. Mhlanga said there would be a challenge with practical examinations as pupils had not learned much and the impromptu closure of schools had exacerbated the situation. Mhlanga said the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) would have to manage the issue of practical examinations and then communicate with schools.

Meanwhile, the country has started a rollout programme to vaccinate teachers for COVID-19 as a means to bring normality in the education sector. Prime Minister (PM) Sipho Dlamini, on Monday, reported that government had moved the country to an adjusted Level 3 of the COVID-19 regulations. The PM said during the school days wherein learners attended classes, they were unable to attend on all days of the week due to the rotational and blended schedules designed to ensure they (pupils) adhered to COVID-19 regulations such as social distancing. The PM said government fully recognised the importance of prioritising education even during emergencies as educational institutions remained a critical sector towards socio-economic development.