Past 6 years
ability, enabling them to move onto the next stage in their education. Nxumalo was quick to set the record straight that the decline was not a result of the resit, following the leakage of contents of some papers.
According to the minister, a number of learners did not perform well even in subjects that were not affected by the resat examination papers.
Worth noting is that the decline in performance has also been observed even with the IGCSE Examination, which from question development, marking and results processing, was handled by
Nxumalo (L) sharing a light moment with Swaziland National Association of Teachers Secretary General Lot Vilakati, after releasing the 2023 Form V results. their accreditor, Cambridge University Press and Assessment. The minister said ECESWA took the decision to hold a resit session after careful consideration, adding that it was fair for all candidates to give them the opportunity to resit the papers, rather than estimating their performance based on their scores in other papers.
Option
He said the worst option was to cancel the examinations. Of note, the minister stated that some of the candidates attained good grades in the resat papers.
Furthermore, he highlighted that ECESWA had presented the results statistics as they were. He said; “The statistics are for the benefit of concerned stakeholders, who may want to ascertain the causes of the decline in the performance and possible interventions.”
He also pointed out that the grading of the 2023 EGCSE/EPCSE results was conducted with guidance and support of a Cambridge University Press and Assessment consultant, as part of the accreditation agreement.
Nxumalo said international observers from Kenya and Zambia also attended the exercise, as part of validation to ensure the credibility of the results. This, he said, was an important stage in the processing of results across examining boards.