Assessment key to quality education – Mabumba
GOVERNMENT says it will continue to categorise assessment in education as one of the key interventions for improving the quality of teaching and learning in Zambia.
Minister of General education David Mabumba stated that Zambia has mainstreamed the school-based Continuous Assessment (CA) as a tool to monitor the learners' continuous progression.
Mr Mabumba said this yesterday when he officiated at the Network of African Learning Assessment (NALA) conference under the theme " Improving the quality of learning outcomes in schools through appropriate and innovative educational assessment".
Mr Mabumba said to improve the quality of teaching and learning, his ministry had set out clear goals and recommendations for the country-wide implementation of CA in schools.
"Since the late 1970s, the ministry's policies have sought to reverse the old-age emphasis on high-stakes examinations to more suitable, innovative and effective school-based continuous assessment. But having policy, good policies for that matter, is just the first step," Mr Mabumba said.
Mr Mabumba reiterated that school based CA leads to the accumulation of data at school level adding that it requires that teachers use the data to diagnose and offer appropriate and timely interventions to help children acquire worthwhile competences.
He added that there was need for teacher capacity building as well as equipping of all the schools with the necessary technological equipment.
The Minister thanked cooperating partners such as Dubai Cares and Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) for their continued support in mainstreaming school based CA.
Mr Mabumba said government had made tremendous strides in mainstreaming school based CA because of continued support and concerted efforts of Dubai Cares and CAMFED, among others.
And speaking at the same occasion, CAMFED chairperson Professor Dickson Mwansa reaffirmed his organisation's commitment to continue working closely with government to ensure education delivery was improved.
Professor Mwansa said there wasneed to get rid of the oldaged emphasis on high-stakes examinations to more suitable, innovative and effective school based continuous assessment.