EXTERNAL EXAM DATES RELEASED, SNAT, HEAD TEACHERS RAISE CONCERNS

MBABANE – Following the release of the dates of the commencement of external examinations, head teachers and educators have raised concerns about the level of preparedness by learners.

The dates were announced by the Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza, during a press conference which was held at the Cabinet Offices yesterday afternoon. The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) candidates were among the first group to sit for the external examinations which began yesterday (October 4, 2022) and will be followed by Eswatini General Certificate of Secondary Examinations (EGCSE) in November 14, 2022. The Junior Certificate entrants will sit for their examination from November 28, while Eswatini Primary Certificate (EPC) candidates start on December 5, 2022. In an interview with the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General (SG), Lot Vilakati, he stated that the preparedness of the learners was not at the level for them to sit for their final examinations.

Limited

Vilakati said pupils had very limited time to prepare, as the syllabus was about 80 per cent complete. The SG said the syllabuses could not be covered due to their bulkiness, following the abnormality caused by COVID-19 and the unrest that was experienced. He said pupils in Form V had to cover work from their previous class first, which they had not completed. Likewise with Grade VII and JC.

He mentioned that other learners were already sitting for the examinations, hence learning time was very minimal. This, he said, disturbed the syllabus. “If the ministry has approved that pupils should sit for their external examinations, they will write what they have covered,” Vilakati said. He stated that teachers would have a hard time trying to cover the syllabus, which did not work for the pupils as they became overworked. He said it could be true that the learners might have had more days to attend school, compared to last year, but the syllabus dated back from previous classes and could not be completed due to the experienced anomaly. “Teachers need to cover the staff which was missed in the previous classes.”

Vilakati said they would not be complaining if they had to only cover the syllabus for the current class. He said extending the time to cover the syllabus before sitting for the external examinations could have helped somehow. However, he said it should not be forgotten that both teachers and pupils needed a break and to get rest, adding that the more they took a break and overlapped to next year, teachers would be deprived of resting time.

Anomalies

He said the anomalies caused by COVID-19 and the political unrest had resulted in the education system not functioning well. On the other hand, Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) Secretary General Mduduzi Masilela, said a number of factors had contributed to learners’ unpreparedness. These, he stated, included that the current academic year was very short and had two terms. This, he said, was caused by the fact that 2021 was completed in the first quarter of 2022. Furthermore, he said the breaks which were taken between the terms were also costly as they consumed time. Masilela said schools had nonetheless tried to prepare the pupils for the final examinations by putting intervention time whereby they would stretch instructional time beyond the normal time.  

He added that with other schools, they noted that teachers would put in learning time, even on weekends. “The limited time has not given us a choice to prepare the learners adequately like in usual times.” When asked what he thought about the results, Masilela stated that they could not pre-empt but only hoped they would not get terrible results. He said in the past, there was disturbance in instructional time but teachers worked hard beyond the challenges. Masilela stated that it was not all gloom and they were hoping for the best. When asked about her expectation on the results, the minister of Education stated that she banked her hopes and trust on the teachers to do an excellent job as they understood the job and knew how to handle the situation. Mabuza said she was hoping for the best results, especially because this year was not like the previous one where learners did not have enough instructional time, although there were two terms.

However, she said the situation was beyond control as they were trying to fix the academic calendar in order for the year to return to normal, like it used to be before the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there were also a number of tutorial methods, including online learning, which benefitted the pupils. Mabuza said, as the end of the 2022 academic year approached, they were encouraging head teachers, teachers and learners to continue with their hard work in preparing for the approaching final examinations for all school levels.

Prepared

She wished all schools success in their hard work, while they prepared learners for the final examinations. Mabuza also encouraged learners to put more effort and focus on their studies in order to succeed. “Remember, success comes through hard work,” she said. She urged parents and guardians to support their children as they prepared for the examinations. The minister stated that they needed to ensure that children had enough time to study and as well monitor them. Furthermore, she said schools and learners, including all those involved in the examinations, were advised to keep the examinations credible by acting in accordance with laid-out regulations and procedures during the writing. She said inconveniences stemming from inappropriate conduct during examinations could be avoided by upholding ethical conduct during the process of examinations by all those involved. Mabuza further advised the regional education officers (REOs) to take note of the examination commencement dates for proper logistical planning as they collaborated with the Examination Council of Eswatini (ECESWA).

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