By Wesley Ngwenya
This week all the examination classes in Zambia would have finished writing their final examinations. The examination classes, in Zambia, are grade seven, grade nine, and grade twelve. These grades have to go through a week to a month of continuous rigorous testing with each exam sometimes lasting up to three hours.
Every year, there are allegations of exam malpractices all over the country as students and teachers alike are under pressure of meeting the expectations of parents and administrators. This month, I ran into several groups of grade twelve students who were actually reviewing exam papers that had leaked. Apparently, this was happening in Chilenje, Kabwata, Matero, Chelston and pretty much all over Lusaka. This got me thinking—do we really need these examinations? Or rather, are examinations the best way to evaluate academic performance?
It is very clear that exams, in Zambia, have lost their purpose. If exams are there to eliminate students so that they do not progress to the next grade then maybe they can be justified. However, if they are intended to distinguish students who are outstanding academically to those who are not then they are obviously way off the target.
Our current education system in Zambia revolves around exams. Students in primary, secondary and even college spend their time focussing on the final exams. There is little or no time for creativity during their time in classes. Students don’t have the luxury of exploring their interests and stretching their minds. It’s all exams exams and exams. How can a two hour exam determine how good of a student you have been in the last twelve years? Surely, it is time our educators revised our system. We need our students to be able to pursue their interests. Let them work on projects and be more innovative. There are quite a variety of areas that our students can be involved in within our country. I would be eager to see our students in secondary school pursue interests in environmental issues, botany, mining, irrigation, climate change, e-commerce, and many more.
Instead of having an exam oriented syllabus, there is need to focus on continuous assessment. Then students would focus on issues that are relevant to them. I have been recently learning a lot about the various names of Zambian birds from the children of my American friends. I feel ashamed of myself that I cannot name more that ten varieties of our birds and yet we have thousands of varieties here in Zambia. Many of our students have not seen a lion or many of our beautiful wildlife but they are expected to write lengthy essays, during exams, about the wildlife in Zambia. Many of our students have never seen a test tube but they are expected to use them during their final exams. What is, therefore, the use of these exams, to make them fail?
The United States has the SAT or ACT tests which are “sort of” used by some colleges for admission. However, in college, you do various things in your chosen major to earn your degree—you attend classes, do assignments, projects, research papers, group discussion, focus groups, presentations, field trips, internships, tests, exams, and many more. I remember that I had an exam on Friday and was graduating of Sunday. This was possible because my exam was only a small component of the whole course. On the other hand, here in Zambia, our colleges are infested with exams. Students are forced to do certain things such as having an affair with their professors so they can make the grade. Professors at our colleges and universities have become so powerful because they hold the key of success for many of their students. A professor can choose to fail if they don’t like you or you refuse to have a relationship with them.
Sadly, many other colleges have mushroomed in Zambia so long you are able to pay them exam fees. I checked out one of these colleges where the registrar told me all I needed do was pay a few thousand dollars then I can get a few books and go study at home. After that come back in December to write the final exams and you get your MBA hmmm! Sounds interesting, absolutely not. Sounds familiar, absolutely. That’s not exactly what I envisioned I would have to do to earn my MBA.
Our schools are graduating people who are unable to write a business plan, solve a simple mathematical problem, interpret basic information let alone articulate themselves in our official language. Little wonder why we have mediocre minds in positions of leadership in Zambia. I say it is time to do away with these ridiculous exams and introduce continuous assessment in all levels of our education system. Maybe we can introduce boxing. Yes boxing where we pair each other and knock each other down and the winner advances to the next grade. Can you imagine how many world class boxers would come out of Zambia as a result? Better than getting a distinction in school but you cannot afford to go to college or find a job, right?
NO COMMENT….!
Thanks Wesley for opening up debate on this matter. But, the problem is world wide. In the Far East final examinations are highly regarded as a means to pick the brainiest kids. In UK, the ‘old school’ want more of tests and exams while there is the ‘new school’ that think that project work, etc is more important. At UNZA we had 40% from continuous assessment and 60% from exams. In my opinion I think perhaps the student must choose their preferred way to be assessed. The trouble with the world is that everyone is squeezed in the same mould.
YABA! NO WORD!
In most international schools in other parts of the world including Africa, there exists continuous assessments for all grades and the final exam only brings in 20%, meaning 80% is from continuous assessment which includes, daily class work, home work, tests, projects and in senior classes research, etc… I guess you are talking of Government Schools which may have to change. But does capacity exist to do so? And do government schools have the necessary equipment in laboratories, etc.? I rest my case.
This is a good topic that must be discussed. For now I must say that if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. The examination system has been ok for Zambia till when leaks of papers began happening. Comprehensive exams as such, make students attain the skill of retaining information over a long period of time. In contrast to continuous assessment, students have in general a tendacy of not wanting to retain content for longer periods of time. There are pluses and minuses to the two cenarios presented. As an observed fact, the majority of students who come to the USA for studies from Africa, perform excellently in general education classes and others. These students are more focussed at what they want to achieve compared to the locals who are lay back. Zambia’s problem is correctable.
The writer of this article is very myopic. He probably failed the Zambian exams and as a result he is trying to unleash all his anger through this article. Mr. man, get a life. I went through Zambian high school and I must say it was fabulous unlike here in the US. I worked hard without using any leakage and got excellent grades. I guess the reason why you dislike the Zambian education system is because you FAILED terribly.
The writer of this article is very myopic. He probably failed the Zambian exams and as a result he is trying to unleash all his anger through this article. Mr. man, get a life. I went through Zambian high school and I must say it was fabulous unlike here in the US. I worked hard without using any leakage and got excellent grades. I guess the reason why you dislike the Zambian education system is because you FAILED terribly.
yeah, no comment. we are more interested in court cases
this chap that authored this article needs to be checked mentally, exams should definetly seperate the ship from the goats and yes continous assessment is there in our universities. but how on earth do u expect to provide higher education without a seperation, these exams point in which career one is likely to excel, you can be an engineer if you failed math. find something else to write about, you’re simply wasting space on the site
this chap that authored this article needs to be checked mentally, exams should definetly seperate the sheep from the goats and yes continous assessment is there in our universities. but how on earth do u expect to provide higher education without a seperation, these exams point in which career one is likely to excel, you can be an engineer if you failed math. find something else to write about, you’re simply wasting space on the site
Bad article
zed chikalaa,the argument this guy has brought to the fore is genuine.ulefwayafye ukutulanga ati waba ku states.twalileka uku kumbwa chikalaa
The writter is citing exam leakages as the reason to do away with exams. Lusaka schools are not a good representation of schools in other 8 provinces of Zambia. If you went to southern and many other provinces of Zambia you would get a totally different picture of exams and student behavior.
However, I believe exams are a good thing and serve a noble purpose. If one fails an exam, it is an indicator that one is not well vested in what he/she was taught. The solution to the whole scenario is to know how to balance marks for a student.
#13 Continued:
For example some students are good at theory, but bad at praticals whilst others are the opposite. Hence allocating more marks to practicals may be a plus to some and minus to others. I am of the idear that theory part of exams should carry equal marks with practical part. The same should apply to continous assessments. A good student should balance his/her strength in both theory and practicals.
# 6 obviously and all of you who are supporting zambian exams you are products of leakage. Anyway i don’t blame you, you are cheaters. it is high time that we really check on this issue. it is not fair that someone will be studying for many years and the other useless guy just wakes up the day of the exam and finds the leakage on his or her table. come on guys that why in zambia we produce corrupt leaders all over. that’s why you go into any system there is corruption because it began from childhood. so guys the sooner we look at this problem carefully the better for us to do away with all these corrupt leaders, the RBs, Satas, HH and everyone.
my suggestion to this problem is that when pupils are received in grade 8 and 10 there should be re-examined by the receiving schools like what they do other private schools. this will show whether someone passed genuinely or cheated.
I disagree with the writer.. We need to keep our system.. hard as it is.. we can only excel as a country when we have the best minds.. and the only way you can test this OBJECTIVELY is through a tough examination sat at the same time by ALL…
uyu umu guys alepona sana eifyi alefwaya ati bonse balinganye nga ena!!!
To do away with exams would be like hammering a small nail using a sledge hammer. The naill will be driven in but you may crack the wood. How would selection to Universities and colleges be? Higher Education may end up being a preserve for the super rich coz the fees would be the only way to sieve.
It would be better to tighten controls at Exam Council Of Zambia.
Not all students come from stable homes, this is especially so in zambia. Continous assesment would be a disaster. As would have been in my case, most of my time was reserved for exams while the rest was for survival
Universities and Colleges can start setting their own entry exams for various programs. They just need to use the ECZ exam as a preliminary selection phase; basically to invite potential students to sit University entry exams. This way, it would be easier to manage the quality of students. Those that will get 6points from ECZ exams due to leakage will never even attempt to go because they would know they would be found out.
That said, Zambia doesnt lack ideas; it lacks implementers. There are too many theorists around; no implementers. Implementation takes time, resources, and is painfully slow. In Zambia for as long as a problem will materialise in 6months time, that is long term, fikaisova. This, for me, is where the problem lies.
@ Fwaka (#21), you have spoken. You suggestion is a good one. Thanks.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified
– Romans 8:28-30
Aba bantu ta ba kwete po amakosa! Ba ko tina amashindano.
IF AN ELECTION CAN BE RIGGED……..WHAT MORE WITH A SIMPLE EXAM PAPER……THIS IS ZAMBIA, MIND YOU!!!!!!!!!!!:d
# 24 you are funny man.
And is the LT editor from Western Province? Too much of stories from kwa Aye. Report more Mpombo
Ala ni theory, theory, theory fye pa zed. when one is the field they become totally useless. And this thing of if one is maybe very very good in 2 or more subject but because he/she does not pass English and Maths then he/she is doomed is rubbish seriously. Somebody should look into this
what!! Comment later. I cannnot make sense of this guys aguement
Examinations may have their own flaws but they are the best way to assess performance. Nothing created by humans can ever be perfect. The things the author of the article raises have been tried in some countries and the results have been disastrous. Those countries have had to resort back to examinations.
Course work is not the magic bullet to stop the rot in education standards. In the western world they have done away with exams; result lagging behind china,India.
Please, i am asking what you do when you want to set up the final examination for grade nines. How many years do you count to set up the one is written by other grade
Nice one.. i like the humour you have attached to this article even tho i don`t buy yo idea of doing away with exams.Exams are surely the best way of trying to find out if what the pupil has had been learning has had reached its intended target i.e the brain.I can`t imagine any other better way of doing it.It is a bit unfair to use it as a criteria of eliminating others from progressing, but hey who said life is fair ? The best the authorities can do is to make sure that there are no leakages.For instance the printing and selection of the paper on the day of exam is one way of reducing chances of leakages, like it is done in the western world.It is a pity that out IT system is still in its limping stage.One day kakabalika.
Infact more exams should be brought on board as the population continues to increase and competition gets tougher! Unversities, colleges and schools should set up their own examinations in addition to E.C.Z exams to filter out undesired elements. The author has seen nothing yet, let him come to India and see the level of competition. For everything in India, there is a competitve exam.
The education system in Zambia is among the best in Africa. What needs to be done is improve the conditions of service for our poor teachers and tighten the security of these exams papers.
The write of this article is sickand lazy! Exams are the surest way of making students attend class, learn class content, study hard and try to retain what they have learnt. Exams separate good from bad. There is no other system for achieving this other than exams. Even when you are getting a driver’s license you need to be examined. Fact is, no student likes studying or going to school. Students go to school because of the future benefits they are likely to rip if they excel in school. Now, imagine a school system without exams? Students will not study, they will not try to learn class material and the end result will be disasterously. This article is simply crap!!
Imagine In Australia,NZ etc no child is kicked out of school until they reach grade 12. Every child must reach grade twelve then decided whether to do a trade or go to university based on final results. Here , in Zambia children at grade FOUR were stopped school because they failed. Where would a ten year old go? Then again at Grade SEVEN. Why? – Only Three secondary school the whole province. Not to forget Form Three. Finally grade twelve (Form V). Most of today’s unemployed adults where kicked out at one of these levels. Remove final EXAMS please. Continuous assessment and exams is the way.
best article. i am one of those who failed grade 7 and passed in 4 subjects in grade twelve not because i was dull but because i was one of those kids who went to school with no break fast or lunch had no one to pay my fees attended classes only when my fees were fully paid. always worried about how i will pay my exam fees prostitution was not an options along came a good sumaritan who paid for my g12 exams God bless him. With my Zeros i went overseas did certficate 3-diploma and passed with flying colour. now i am at one of the top Universities in Australia studying Bachelor of art. i strongly agree with Mr Muleya this will empower the youth and see the country to a rapid economical development. it’s what hong kong, singapore went through.
The only solution is to revert to the old system where exams where from the University of Cambridge and only brought in at a time of writing.
at least in zambia they can know a few things beforehand.but all the same they still have to study for the rest or maybe coz they doubt if they have the right stuff.here in russia,students come to write examz with no idea.with this almost free internet,they just google everything and write down the answers.they get distinctions like that all the time.one funny thing,even the most intelligent in class will still copy.
sooo……let me think of something now……..then will make ma suggestions later…..:-w:-?
38 smartgirl says:
haaa haaa.. copying from internet via google.. The results of international assessment of young graders, Shaghai is leading the table in all fields .. Here the Finn are ranked third .. How about Russians?
I sit here and read your comments and wonder what kind of Zambians do we have out here. The article is good and I expected those of us who have the privalenge of experiencing other kinds of educational systems to make this article better by making good and well-thought comments. Not the bulls… you guys are saying. We have to admit exam leakages bring down the standard of education and we in Zambia have solve this problem now!!
A good article and i totally agree with you. Final exams are not the best way of assessing someone’s capabilities.
exams are to be taken by people who are serious everyone was made the same it is just that the dow ones are lazy they should learn to study in order for them to pass…….
as for those who pass congrats i am just a grade seven writing my exams this year 2012 starting this coming tuesday….
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is it normal to go to school when the grade 12s are writing final exams