News / Education
Government mulls ZJC return
11 Aug 2013 at 20:03hrs | Views
Government is mulling plans to re-introduce the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate (ZJC) as part of broad-based measures aimed at arresting the country's declining Ordinary and Advanced level pass rates.
The ZJC examination, which was sat for by Form Two pupils, was abolished in 2001 as the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) suffered the hyperinflation scourge.
However, as stakeholders ponder as to how to improve the country's education sector, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Mrs Constance Chigwamba, last week revealed that plans to reintroduce the ZJC examination are in the pipeline.
"We are reviewing our existing curriculum and one of the measures proposed is the revival of the junior certificate," she said.
"We believe that this move will give us a chance to assess students. At the moment, there is no policy in the country that calls for the re-introduction of ZJC but there is growing support for the move.
"We have been working closely with educationalists and their input will greatly influence the route we will be taking."
Educationalists, meanwhile, have welcomed the move to introduce the ZJC examinations with Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe secretary general Raymond Majongwe describing it as a step in the right direction.
"ZJC is needed to evaluate the performance of students and its absence has cost the nation greatly. I believe its re-introduction will go a long way in improving our education system," he said.
Zimbabwe Teachers' Association chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu also applauded the move.
"The re-introduction of ZJC is a noble idea as it will lead to the evaluation of varying aptitudes thereafter. This will result in the channelling of pupils to areas of specialty and this will be done in a manner that will see the education system becoming a two-way system which gives equal opportunities in both practical and academic learning," he said.
The country's Ordinary Level pass rate fell to 18,4 percent last year from the 19,5 percent recorded in 2011.
The ZJC examination, which was sat for by Form Two pupils, was abolished in 2001 as the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) suffered the hyperinflation scourge.
However, as stakeholders ponder as to how to improve the country's education sector, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Mrs Constance Chigwamba, last week revealed that plans to reintroduce the ZJC examination are in the pipeline.
"We are reviewing our existing curriculum and one of the measures proposed is the revival of the junior certificate," she said.
"We believe that this move will give us a chance to assess students. At the moment, there is no policy in the country that calls for the re-introduction of ZJC but there is growing support for the move.
"We have been working closely with educationalists and their input will greatly influence the route we will be taking."
"ZJC is needed to evaluate the performance of students and its absence has cost the nation greatly. I believe its re-introduction will go a long way in improving our education system," he said.
Zimbabwe Teachers' Association chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu also applauded the move.
"The re-introduction of ZJC is a noble idea as it will lead to the evaluation of varying aptitudes thereafter. This will result in the channelling of pupils to areas of specialty and this will be done in a manner that will see the education system becoming a two-way system which gives equal opportunities in both practical and academic learning," he said.
The country's Ordinary Level pass rate fell to 18,4 percent last year from the 19,5 percent recorded in 2011.
Source - sundaymail
