Staff Reporter
A PARLIAMENTARY report has identified overcrowded classrooms accommodating up to 70 learners, slow adoption to the revised curriculum, and overworked teachers as some of the factors that led to the 85% high failure rate in 2023.
The parliamentary committee conducted investigations in response to the public outcry regarding the dismal performance, which saw a high failure rate of learners who sat for the NSSCO (Grade 11) and the NSSCAS (Grade 12).
The investigation was conducted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Science, ICT, and Youth Development and the National Council.
In addition to a series of public hearings and interviews conducted by the Committee with various stakeholders across the country, the Standing Committee undertook a study visit to the Parliament of Finland from 22nd to 29th October 2023 to learn from the country’s world-class education system.
The report stated that in investigating the cause of the high failure rate of grades 11 and 12, as assigned by the House, the Committee established that the problem in the education system does not necessarily begin at the secondary level.
“To the contrary, the problems of the education system indeed manifest themselves at the secondary level. Nationally, the focus has just been on the exit levels of Grade 11 (former Grade. 10) and Grade 12 and less on the primary and intermediate levels. The Committee found out that the challenges begin from the pre-primary level where there is no proper educational foundation,” Olivia Hanghuwo, Chairperson of the committee said.
She added that following the Committee’s various public hearings held across the country, the Committee found that the policy on Staffing Norms in terms of the Teacher—Learner Ratio has not been enforced. “The Committee further established that the majority of schools visited were way over the prescribed staffing norm of 30 learners per teacher. As a result, most schools visited were overcrowded with some classes having between 40 to 70 learners in a classroom. Overcrowding in classrooms was confirmed to be one of the major causes of high failure as the learners are not given the necessary individual attention they need. The Committee during its engagement presented this matter to the Ministry,” Hanghuwo said.
The chairperson said that the Ministry acknowledged the issue of overcrowding in classrooms and informed the Committee that funds were secured from the European Union (EU) to construct about 150 classrooms, mainly targeting primary schools. The construction will also include playgrounds and other related infrastructure.
Furthermore, the Committee found that some teachers are assigned too many subjects to teach, compromising their effectiveness and ultimately the quality of teaching in schools.
The Committee also found that the revised curriculum had serious implementation challenges. Hanghuwo said that the rollout of the curriculum was poorly planned, lacked wide and proper consultation, and was not well-resourced.
“It was evident through the Committee’s series of public hearings that stakeholders and schools alike were not ready for the revised curriculum. Teachers were not adequately trained to effectively implement the curriculum, and the curriculum was found to be demanding more time than what is provided for. The Ministry should budget and prioritize the training of teachers and resource the schools with the necessary materials, such as textbooks, consumables for pre-vocational subjects, and ensure functional laboratories across the schools,” the chair said.
