A reflection on 2012 examination poor JC results

SHANDUKANI T HLABANO | Friday January 18, 2013 00:00

 

The public has a vested interest in examination results because governments spend a sizeable portion of the tax payer's money as some form of investment in education.  From the point of view of the public, good results signal a good return on investment.  While poor performance of learners is an indication of poor returns on investment.  It follows that the media and members of the public should express displeasure when the results are not up to the expected standards.  Following the release of the Junior Certificate Examination results by Botswana Examinations Council (BEC), there seems to be a great deal of anxiety amongst members of the public.  We all have reasons to be apprehensive as we ruminate over the future with an education system that does not pay dividends.  In an examination based curriculum, examinations are some kind of an appraisal of the entire education system hence the performance of learners in an examination is used to ascertain the effectiveness of the public education system. Generally, the performance of learners in public schools has been declining.  But the decline was more pronounced at senior secondary school level than at junior certificate level.  The BGCSE results would certainly be worse than the JC results.  The reasons for the poor performance are not hard to identify.  However, I would like to highlight a few salient factors that probably contributed to the poor performance.  I would conclude by proposing a possible option that could be followed.

The JC poor results The 2010-2012 was a period of great apprehension.  It was a period characterised by the introduction of new syllabi across subjects, changes in technological innovation, changes in the employer-employee relations and high teacher turn-over. To an ordinary citizen it is easy to blame the teacher in the classroom for the poor performance of learners.  But those in the know would tell you that the dynamics of attaining quality education are far more complex than that.  As a matter of fact, other factors could ruin the good teaching that could have been done by a teacher.  Teachers derive job satisfaction from their learners' good performance in their final examinations.  The three year (2010-2012) period under review was characterised by the following developments and trends in education: Curriculum Development - new syllabi for the different subjects were introduced during the period. Teachers were familiarising themselves with the demands of the new syllabi while at the same time preparing learners for examinations.  It was however evident that the teachers were on their own.  The In-Service department needed to be put on overdrive as support to teaching staff.

Assessment Syllabi - the teaching syllabi should have been accompanied by an Assessment Syllabi but unfortunately these were sent to schools a year later and that caught many teachers off balance.  An assessment syllabus is a critical document that guides a teacher on what skills are to be examined and therefore worthy of being given more prominence in a classroom environment. Employer-Employee Relations - there were tussles between the employer and the trade unions and these obviously had a negative impact in the education of learners.  Teacher morale is at its lowest ebb and a good number of teachers are outward looking.  Through private studies many teachers prepare themselves for new careers outside education.

Technological Changes - BEC introduced a new grading system that proved to be a challenge in the awarding of grades.  There seem to be inconsistences in the grading system hence we continue to receive complaints on the interpretation of the results.  Some learners are reported to have received grades on subjects that they did not sit for.  Parents should therefore exercise caution and ascertain that their children have received the right grades.

Human Resources - the Ministry of Education & Skills Development (MOE&SD) sent well over two thousand teachers for further studies.  While this was a commendable initiative it was however evident that not much preparation had been made to replace these teachers.  The result was that many learners in the different schools went for many months without being taught.

Way forward We need quality education in our schools. Literature on quality education identifies two elements as fundamental to the attainment of it. These are quality teaching and teacher morale and good leadership of institutions of learning. Quality teaching is tied to the notion of teacher morale.  In other words you cannot have one without the other.  Teacher concerns are in the public domain.  The Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) should expedite the resolution of the problems that are inherent in the teaching fraternity.  I have argued elsewhere that there is need for political willingness to resolve inherent problems in education.  The challenges facing the teaching fraternity will never die a natural death; they are too glaring and too outlandish to be wished away.  They need to be confronted and not avoided.  Teachers are not asking for anything special but that which is extended to all other members of the public service.

Curriculum Development - we need a thinking-based curriculum and not a memorisation based one.  The curriculum should speak to the needs and aspirations of the country.

Teacher Support Unit (In-service Unit) - An in-service Unit complete with subject specialist, not office care-takers but officers fired up with the knowledge of their subject of specialisation.  The subject specialist support teachers in the field but they have an added advantage of conducting research and share their findings on teaching methods with practising teachers.

The MOE&SD arguably has the best organisational structure relative to other ministries. Through regional offices the ministry officials should be able to reach out to all schools.  But it is not uncommon for a school to go for well over a decade without a single visit from education official.  My contention is that teachers need support through in-service workshops facilitated by education officers who are subject specialists.  It would be a miracle if our education system can improve without up-skilling school leaders, developing and nurturing quality teaching, resolving teacher welfare issues, and addressing curriculum development.  These are the tried and tested points of entry in the transformation of any ailing education system.