Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA)Annual Conference 2016

THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) is the proud host of the 34th Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) Annual conference 2016 which is underway in Victoria Falls. After successfully hosting the Southern Africa Association for Education Assessment (SAAEA) annual conference in 2015, we are excited to have hosted the whole of Africa in the resort town from Monday to today.

The AEAA is a non-profit making organisation established to promote co-operation among examining and assessment boards and organisations in Africa. The AEAA was established following the incorporation of other African states into what was known as the subregional Conference for Heads of Institutions responsible for Educational Assessment in Eastern and Southern Africa (AEBESA) whose founding members were Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi. This change from AEBESA to AEAA took place in Arusha, Tanzania in the year 1992.

The primary objective of this event was to address and explore the strategic areas and knowledge for improving quality of education. It is dedicated towards to provide a forum for discussing ideas and issues in assessment education. Educators, administrators, researchers, and students share their experiences, expertise, and innovations regarding teaching and learning about practices for quality education.

To get a clearer picture of why the conferences are so vital, we may need to elaborate on the terms. According to some scholars “Assessment is essential not only to guide the development of individual students but also to monitor and continuously improve the quality of programs, inform prospective students and their parents, and provide evidence of accountability to those who pay our way.”

That is to say, “Educational assessment seeks to determine how well students are learning and is an integral part of the quest for improved education. It provides feedback to students, educators, parents, policy makers, and the public about the effectiveness