Beverly Bizeki
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) has urged parents to support the ministry’s initiative to bring about a robust system of assessing learner progress in the Competence Based Curriculum through the Continuous Assessment of Learning Activities (CALAs) by not doing some of the work that is assigned to learners or in other cases buying the learners models.
This was revealed during a media engagement workshop for the curriculum review of the 2015-2022 framework held at the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration and Management (ZIPAM) recently.
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council Research Manager Francis Chirume said that the doing of CALAs by teachers and parents on behalf of learners is a gross malpractice.
“Parents who buy models for their children are hindering learner activity. CALAs are meant to bring about a generation of knowledge, application of knowledge through problem based activities hence learners must fully participate in this work to ensure originality and creativity is realized in our pupils,” said Chirume.
The ministry introduced the CALAs as part of the Competence Based Curriculum for Primary and Secondary Education in 2015.
“We are no longer teaching for competition but we have since moved to unlocking the learners’ potential through these CALAs which is why we require the full participation of learners when doing their work.
“CALAs measure competences that are knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired during the teaching and learning processes on a continual basis that is in progression,” added Chirume.
MoPSE Permanent Secretary Tumisang Tabela said the assessment framework is meant to assess skills and competences in learners and not in academics only.
“The Ministry has also introduced a new assessment framework which is fit for purpose considering that we could not continue assessing a skills and competence based curriculum using a framework meant for academics only. The new assessment model takes into cognisance pupils’ different abilities and flairs including skills, inherent talents, values and other achievements both in and out of class.
“The CALAs have thus become a key part of how we accredit the overall performance of a learner as a system. As we review the curriculum, all these aspects will also be reviewed to ensure they are in line with the educational aspirations of the country,” said Tabela.
Marks for certification are collected from Grade 6-7 that is grade 6 first term to grade 7 second term, Form 3 first term to Form 4 second term, Form 5 first term to Form 6 second term with learners expected to complete five CALAs at every level.
