The 2012 National Assessment Survey Results at primary School level have revealed that learning achievement levels have remained low over a period of 13 years.
Speaking during the launch of the Results in Lusaka today, Education Minister, Dr. John Phiri, says only thirty percent of Zambian learners are meeting the minimum levels of achievement in reading in English, Mathematics and Life skills.
Dr. Phiri says this is the reason why Grade nine pupils have continued to perform poorly.
He has since pledged government’s continued support to the education sector so that reading skills are improved among primary school going children.
Dr Phiri says the Patriotic Front (PF) government will correct this by allocating more resources to the education sector in the 2014 National Budget.
And Dr. Phiri has noted the need for Teacher Training Institutions to be provided with modern learning materials so that they teach pupils what is current.
He says government will continue to work to hard by recruiting more teachers and continue to improve the schools infrastructure throughout the country.
As an Education, Dr Phiri, we expected u to understand that the sector does not only need funds but also good policies. But what u done other abolishing tuitions?
I wonder what sort of PhD holders we have at the university of Zambia. Surely as minister of education,he needs to address a much more fundamental need and clear strategy in the education sector which gives the learning goals for the next 50 years or so. We need to hear how development as a country is correlated with certain skills and professions which need to come out to attain that development. what we are teaching these children and how we are teaching these children in schools needs to change. I don’t know if its the journalists who are failing in the jobs to relay this information accurately to the public or its just the ministry of education itself which is not addressing key policies in education. We need to give these children a greater understanding of self.
Don’t we already know this?
Dr. Phiri, it’s not how much money you throw at a problem that’s solves it, but WHERE you throw the money. E.g
1. It’s not just recruiting MORE teachers, but rather the QUALITY of those teachers.
2. We’ve now joined the South African education tragedy where the quality of teachers is a bigger problem than that of the Learners, which escalates the problem to the quality of teacher training courses and the tutors and lecturers there.
3. I insist that our country has not reached a stage where education should be commoditized and commercialized. The proliferation of kitchen and backyard colleges has contributed significantly to this decline, and it’s now so embarrassing! Our schools, colleges & universities were far much better under government’s TOTAL control & supervision.
Just look at the leadership and decisions Zambia makes.It actually reflects that.
They should really invest in education!!
Thanks
For a PhD, to think throwing money at a problem without really knowing the deep rooted causes it just doesn’t cut – am sensing we are in a much worse mess as a country than I had earlier thought. This doesnt look good.
make suggestion ba fi color
Though we are not bafikala. i can make some suggestions. Hope my article will be published tomorrow or the day after. watch out for it,you will know it when you read it.
Yes Winter Kabimba is even advocating the introduction of teaching in local languages in schools. He said English is not our language.
And i thought they speak ENGLISH!