ZNUT worried over grade 12 results

ZNUT worried over grade 12 results

Lusaka, February 14, 2015, ZANIS—The Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) has expressed concern at the poor performance by Grade 12’s  in 2014.

ZNUT Director for Research Christopher Yalukanda told ZANIS in a telephone interview in Lusaka today that the poor performance of the 2014 Grade 12’s was as a result of the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) decision to ban extra tuitions in schools.

Mr Yakulanda said extra tuitions provided a platform for pupils to have reinforcement of lessons undertaken in class.

Mr Yalukanda further stated that before the ban many pupils especially those in boarding schools would remain behind to get extra lessons apart from those acquired in school as a results improving their performance.

He also explained that the performance of pupils was affected by the moving forward of examinations by the examining body as a result most schools had not completed the entire syllabus.

He said the examination time table was changed in a manner that was unusual unlike the ones in the past years which enabled the pupils to do their practical’s before the theory.

Mr Yalukanga also stated that teachers where demotivated by the government decision to introduce a wage freeze and that affected their levels of commitment and effectiveness to duty.

Education, Science , Vocational Training and Early Education  Minister Michael Kaingu however announced yesterday that out of a total of  119,862 candidates who sat for grade 12 examinations only 66,971 got school certificates representing a 14.1 percentage increase over the 2013 examinations.

Dr Kaingu said the figure represents a 55.8 percent pass rate.