CALA fate to be known in February

In this file picture, learners wait to be allocated accommodation for the first school term

THE fate of the present continuous assessment learning activities (CALA) in primary and secondary schools, whether to remove or realign them, will be known around February after Cabinet sits to assess recommendations made by stakeholders.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerayi Moyo said all the recommendations from stakeholders in the education sector had been received and compiled.

“According to section 141 of the Constitution, we allowed stakeholders to make submissions on a specific day in May this year (last year), where they reviewed the curriculum.

“We want the stakeholders to decide the fate of continuous assessment learning activities and they have already done that,” he said.

“I can’t tell you what they said, but definitely there is going to be a major shift in terms of how learners are likely to receive feedback and also in terms of assessments.”

Minister Moyo could not give details of the recommendations since he had to first report to the President.

“Definitely, there are going changes,” he said.

“Either we realign or remove them but I can’t tell you now the fate of CALA, but definitely there were concerns by stakeholders.

“There were complaints that assignments were being done by parents and some teachers were making a living out of CALA, making those assignments very difficult so that learners and parents will not be able to find solutions to the problems,” said Minister Moyo.

“Eventually, teachers would do the assignments themselves and get some funds of some sort.”

Minister Moyo said after Cabinet resumption, the way forward would be determined.

“Cabinet is going to meet on February 6, so it means by February 28, we would have decided the fate of CALA because we want to wait for the first Cabinet meeting,” said Minister Moyo.

“It will go through Cabinet and you know issues that go through Cabinet are to be confidential. People will just know at the post-Cabinet brief. That’s when they will be apprised,” he said.

Minister Moyo said schools or colleges were restricted from employing people without a minimum qualification of a diploma in education.

“Our policy is clear. Those who are employed in Zimbabwe as teachers must have a minimum of a diploma in education,” he said.

“What we are going to do in future is to request those independent colleges to bring a list of their teachers and qualifications.”

His ministry was going into private schools to see whether they abide with Government policy of only employing qualified teachers to uphold standards.

“We need to do an inspection or random sampling to just visit those colleges and get information regarding qualifications of their teachers.

“If we discover that they are employing people not qualified or untrained, then we deal with that,” he said. — The Herald