ZANEC

Category: Press Statement

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

    The Zambia National Educational Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased to join the rest of the world in commemorating International Literacy Day. This day is important in the education calendar as it provides us with the opportunity to reflect on the importance of education to human and economic development. Literacy, which simply refers to one’s ability to read and write should be a must especially in this era where almost everything is being digitalized.

    This year’s theme, which is “Promoting Literacy for a World in Transition: Building the Foundation for Sustainable and Peaceful societies” is very timely. Indeed, the world is transitioning from the impact of the COVID 19 on education. As we transition into the post COVID 19 period, it is important to build on foundations that will ensure we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To achieve this, we need to increase investment in literacy and numeracy in a way that promotes values of a sustainable and peaceful society. Therefore, there is need to embrace blended learning narrowing down the digital divide between the vulnerable and privileged population to ensure equitable access to digital platforms both for learning, Communication and accessing economic opportunities. Literacy skills are expanding and evolving as people engage more and more with information and learning through digital technology. Zambia has no choice but to invest in equitable information communication technologies that can facilitate the easy acquisition of literacy skills.

    Literacy plays a significant role in a person’s wellbeing as it empowers and liberates people through improving their lives by expanding capabilities which in turn reduce poverty, increase participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health and sustainable development. It should be noted that nations with high literacy rates are also making significant progress in their social, economic, cultural and political development. For example, literate women have a positive ripple effect on all aspects of development. They have greater life choices for themselves and an immediate impact on the health and education of their families which in turn impacts positively on the society at large.

    However, we note with concern that Youth and Adult Literacy Education continue to be the least resourced subsector in the Education and Skills Sector. Evidence from the analysis of the 2023 National budget allocation to the Education and Skills Sector show that only 0.02% was located to this important subsector. There is no increase that was registered from the allocation for 2022. meaning that, as a country, we have not prioritised investment in the Youth and Adult Literacy Sector despite its immense potential.

    We would therefore like to take this opportunity to make the following recommendations to our Ministry of Education. We recommend that the Ministry must consider:
    •Employing adult education graduates to support the delivery of adult literacy in adult literacy centres.
    •Increase the provision of training equipment as well as teaching and learning materials (radios, books, charts) in adult literacy centres.
    •Purchase lighting equipment for centres such as solar lamps and solar panels.
    •Budget for salaries for adult literacy instructors on annual basis.
    •At least 5% of the teachers to be deployed next year should be adult literacy teachers.
    •The Ministry should construct more centres for YALE and lobby for CDF investment towards building adult literacy centres.

    Finally, ZANEC would like to wish all of you a reflective, happy and fruitful International Literacy Day commemoration.

    For/ZANEC
    George Hamusunga
    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UNETHICAL MISCONDUCT OF A TEACHER WHO INJURED A PUPIL IN KASENENGWA DISTRICT

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UNETHICAL MISCONDUCT OF A TEACHER WHO INJURED A PUPIL IN KASENENGWA DISTRICT

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is saddened by the unethical conduct of a named teacher who was reported in the media to have badly beaten a Grade 2 in Kasenengwa, Eastern Province to the point of fracturing his legs. As ZANEC, we condemn this act of brutality on the young learner as it is a violation of article 37 (a) 2 of the United Nations Conventions on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that “no child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment,”. This action is also a breach of the provisions of the Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022 specifically Section 22 which clearly states that “A person shall not impose corporal punishment as a form of punishment on a child. We are also aware that Zambia issued a gazette notice for the abolishment of corporal punishment which was enacted into statutory instrument number 10 of 2003. Corporal punishment was further criminalized in the Education Act of 2011 under section 28 which states that;

    28. (1) A teacher, employee or other person at an educational institution shall not impose or administer corporal punishment or degrading or inhuman treatment on a learner or cause corporal punishment or degrading or inhuman treatment to be imposed or administered on a learner. (2) A teacher, employee or other person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand penalty units or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or to both.

    We, therefore, take this opportunity to emphasize that it is important for all school head teachers to be acquainted with the provisions of the Education Act, Teaching Professions Act, and the Code of Ethics for teachers to ensure they orient all their teachers that are entering the teaching profession. The Code of Ethics clearly outlines the dual role of teachers as both educators and parent substitutes who should respect and protect children’s rights. The Ministry of Education should also ensure that all head teachers are trained in administering alternative forms of discipline that do not violate the rights of children such as counselling.

    ZANEC would therefore like to appeal to the relevant authorities namely the DEBS, PEO, Teaching Council of Zambia, and Teaching Service Commission to follow up on this case and determine the appropriate course of action against the teacher responsible.

    For/ZANEC 

    George Hamusunga
    Executive Director

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON THE COMMEMORATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON THE COMMEMORATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased to join the rest of the world in commemorating the Day of the African Child which falls today the 16th of June, 2023.  The Day of the African Child is a time to celebrate the children of Africa and reflect on the progress we are making in the realization of the right to education for all our children across the continent.

    The theme for this year is “The Rights of the Child in the Digital Environment”. Indeed, access to digital platforms is important for all children in this modern world. The Rights of the Children to digitization, also entails children being protected and safeguarded as they access online platforms.  Therefore, this theme has come at the right time when the COVID -19 pandemic brought to light the need and the importance of digital learning in Zambia’s educational system. It is important that children have access to digital learning platforms as well especially during calamities like the COVID 19 that made it impossible to learn physically in a classroom.

    The Alternative modes of education provision (AMEP) that Ministry of Education used face a lot of challenges as is evidenced from the study that was conducted by ZANEC on “Assessing the status of education technology and digital literacy levels among teachers, parents and learners in Zambia”.  This research study revealed that learners were disproportionately affected in terms of access to technology, digital device availability and connectivity.

    To this effect, the African Committee of Experts on the Right and Welfare of Children (ACERWC) has recommended the following as we commemorate this year’s Day of the African Child to our government:

    • Ratify and domesticate the AU Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data (Malabo Convention) and other applicable international instruments;
    • Set aside sufficient resources for the provision of ICT services, particularly in schools;
    • Develop online child protection frameworks which tackle violation of children’s rights online, including Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), with a reporting and investigation mechanism and precise conditions and rules for extradition, extra territorial jurisdiction, mutual legal assistance, and the seizure and confiscation of goods;
    • EnactCyber Security and Data Protection legislation, which also offer guidance on the protection of children’s privacy and personal data;
    • Create toll-free national emergency numbers that are always available forreporting online violations and for the provision of information on and referral to protection and support services for survivors;
    • Establish by law the responsibility of ICT companies and financial institutions to protect children’s rights online and hold business accountable for child rights violations online;
    • Adopt appropriate regulatory frameworks to hold businesses accountable where they are found to have participated in online sexual abuse and exploitation;
    • Mandating for the participation of children in decision-making process through the use of digital technologies presented in a child-friendly format;
    • Ensure caregivers and teachers are sufficiently equipped to assist children insafely navigating the digital environment;
    • Initiate training for members of law enforcement and the judiciary to capacitate them to comprehensively address issues of child online protection;
    • Take steps to remove existing barriers faced by children with disabilities and other children from marginalized and vulnerable communities (refugee children, IDPs, migrants, children affected by armed conflicts) in relation to digital environment;
    • Explore mechanisms through which the digital environment can be utilised to enhance children’s rights, e.g. online birth registration services, soft-copy publication of key legislation and statistics relating to children, and updated online platforms; and
    • Establish accountability mechanisms to ensure State Actors do not infringe on children’s rights in the digital world such as through unethical surveillance practices, internet shutdowns, among others.

    Finally, in understanding children’s rights in the digital environment, it is critical to note that all stakeholders have a role to play in ensuring promotion and protection of children’s rights in the digital sphere. Therefore, we urge the government, the private sector, parents, guardians and caregivers, as well as CSOs, UN Agencies, child and youth-led organizations to promote and protect the rights and welfare of the children in the digital environment.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    Executive Director

     

  • Joint Press Statement on the 2023 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE)

    Joint Press Statement on the 2023 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE)

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) in collaboration with ActionAid TaxEd Alliance and National Quality for Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) are pleased to join the rest of the World in commemorating the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) from Monday, 29th May to Friday, 2nd June 2023. The GAWE is an annual event organized by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) through their National Education Coalition members to encourage millions around the world to reflect on the progress they have made towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4. GAWE provides national and regional education focused organisations an opportunity to make targeted efforts to achieve progress on the ground, with the added support of education campaigners and millions of members of the public worldwide joining together for the same cause.

    The theme for the 2023 GAWE is “Investing in a just world: Decolonising education financing”. This call to action urges all countries and all partners to take concrete action both nationally and internationally in order to invest more equitably and efficiently in education. Decolonising education financing means changing the power dynamics between national governments and international donors, lenders and financial institutions. It also entails our dependance on taxation as a tool for domestic resource mobilization. This is because taxes are the most stable and reliable sources of domestic revenue available to countries. Taxation is therefore fundamental to state building and forms the foundation of the social contract between the state and citizens. Without taxation there can be no viable state. We are also hopeful that the revision of the 2013 curriculum which is currently taking place will produce a curriculum that is decolonized and localized to answer to the real needs of the people in Zambia.

    Furthermore, Domestic resource mobilization (DRM) through progressive taxation has proven to be the most sustainable and predictable source of revenue for all countries. In line with the theme for the GAWE “Decolonizing Education Financing”, we are calling for the need for tax justice – shifting power to developing countries such as Zambia for a just world. We are aware that tax leakages have deprived Zambia of adequate resources to provide quality public services for all citizens. With the introduction of the “Free Education Policy from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to secondary education, Sustainable financing through DRM for education is not only critical for the achievement of SDG 4, but can equally help reduce the need for external dependence and influence on our education agenda.

    We also take this opportunity to applaud the government for accelerating the implementation of decentralization by increasing the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) from 25.7 million in 2022 to 28.3 million in 2023. We also commend  government for giving the mandate to communities to make decisions on developmental agendas such as the number of schools they want to construct in their communities, among other things. The recruitment of over 30, 000 teachers in 2022 and the planned recruitment of  4,500 teachers this year will represent a landmark achievement towards  improving the quality of our education system.  Furthermore, the increased funding towards the loans scholarship scheme and reintroduction of meal allowances for students in public universities is also progressive.

    It is important to mention that the 2023 GAWE will build on the Transforming Education Summit (TES) that was held in 2022 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly where Zambia participated through our Republican President and committed to take concrete actions for education financing as stated in the TES financing call to action. More specifically, within the decolonization of education financing perspective, Zambia committed to the following actions which we are expectant will be put into action:

    1.Committed to reach an adequate tax-to-GDP ratio as required, through ambitious and progressive tax reforms aimed at progressively increasing the national education budget to at least 20% by 2030 to allow for the doubling of spending on education.

    1. Prioritize global actions on taxes by supporting international reforms that can help countries increase their tax income in a rapid and progressive way, shifting international financial institutions country-level dialogue to be broader and more progressive on tax reforms, and ensuring global rules do not push countries into the “race to the bottom” in terms of taxes and harmful tax incentives. This includes: global action on tax loopholes, agreements on a global asset register, the reduction of illicit financial flows, unfair trade taxation, acting on tax havens and promoting a process for setting fair global tax rules.
    2. Revise the international financial and debt architecture to ensure sufficient financing can be mobilized in support of long-term, sustainable development objectives, including by removing conditionalities that require cutting expenditure on education as a prerequisite to attain new financing, and using innovative tools such as debt-for-education swaps.
    3. Support action on debt relief, restructuring, and in some cases, cancellation to ensure more resources are available for investment in education.  This includes taking practical debt relief measures, such as the cancellation of the interest on public external debt and commission on the interest, while providing guarantees for transferring this difference to education under direct supervision of the Ministry of Education.
    4. Develop new curricula by dismantling the existing ones to make them relevant, anti-oppressive, anti-patriarchal and anticolonial by among others localising the curricula by taking into account students’ perspectives.
    5. Promote access to information by creating resources and tools to help communities understand and navigate the education financing system and hold decision-makers accountable for how funds are allocated.
    6. Commit to open up national and education budget processes for public ownership and multi-stakeholder participation, especially civil society participation, in budget making, budget monitoring and review for enhanced inclusivity and accountability.

    Finally, we would also like to take this opportunity to inform the general public that during the commemoration of the GAWE, we will be having a number of activities including a march past, exhibitions and some talk shows on some community radio stations countrywide to discuss various issues affecting education financing in Zambia. Therefore, we would like to encourage all our stakeholders to take time to tune in and take part in the ongoing campaign for this year’s GAWE.

    We wish everyone God’s blessing as we commemorate the 2023 GAWE.

     

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • PRESS STATEMENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION

    PRESS STATEMENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION

    ISSUED ON 24th JANUARY, 2023

    ZANEC is pleased to join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Education which falls today. This day is important in the education calendar as it provides us with the opportunity to reflect on the importance of education to human and economic development.

    In line with this year’s theme which is “To Invest in People, Prioritise Education”, there are many compelling reasons why governments world over need to prioritize investment to the education sector.  As a result of the important role that education plays in development, SDG4 on inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all lies at the center of the attainment of all SDGs. It is for this reason that UNESCO standards provide for allocation of at least 4% to 6% of GDP or 15% to 20% of national budgets to education. However, evidence has shown that although most developed countries pledged to allocate a total of US$110 billion between 2018 and 2021 under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) replenishment initiative, most developing countries failed to adhere to either of these benchmarks or the pledges.

    Education financing particularly by African governments shows a dire picture due to low capacity of many of Countries to raise taxes coupled with the mounting debt burden. In Low Middle Income Countries (LMICs), it is estimated that an additional US$ 15.4 billion a year is needed to achieve SDG 4 targets by 2030. This entails doubling of current expenditure in LMICs in order to meet the SGD targets. For Zambia in particular, the share of the education budget over the SDG period has reduced from 20.2% in 2015 to 13.4% in 2023. To the contrary, the analysis of the education budgetary allocations by size from 2016 shows that the budget has doubled over the SDG period rising from ZMW9.1 billion in 2016 to ZMW23 billion in 2023. Despite the steady increase in the size of the education budget, there have been significant disparities between the approved budget and the amount released, with the performance of the budget averaging 91% since 2016, while majority (91%) of the education allocations are spent towards Personal Emoluments and Recurrent Departmental Charges.

    Overall, Zambia’s education financing gap has been widening since 2016 reaching an estimated ZMW48.4 billion by 2022, translating into an average annual financing gap of ZMW6.9 billion. As a result, Zambia is on course only to achieving two out of the seven SDG targets by the year 2030 namely target 4.1 on the provision of free primary and secondary education as well as target 4.5 on eliminating all discrimination in education by 2030. To achieve the remaining targets, Zambia will need to restructure its debt portfolio in order to free financial resources that can be used to invest at least 20% of its budget towards the education and skills development sector.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the Grade 12 Examination Results for 2022

    ZANEC Press Statement on the Grade 12 Examination Results for 2022

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) has taken note of the statement by the Minister of Education Honorable Douglas Syakalima made on 20th January 2023 during the release of the 2022 Grade 12 Examination Results.

    ZANEC would like to congratulate the Ministry of Education on the efficient release of the Grade 12 results. This will allow those who did not do well to register for the 2023 external examinations before the registration deadline of 3rd March 2023. We also recognize the increase in the number of candidates who obtained full certificates from 67.15% in 2022 to 69.31% in 2023 and the decline by 0.14% in the absenteeism rate. We are also pleased that the performance of examination candidates in practical subjects was above 50% and has remained high especially for subjects such as food and nutrition, design and technology as well as French. As we have stated before this shows that the vocational career pathway is also very viable and of great interest to our learners. ZANEC is also pleased to see that the Examination Council of Zambia is collaborating with international experts from other examination bodies in the assessment of Grade 12 candidates.

    ZANEC is however concerned that:

    1. The lowest percentage mean score was recorded in Mathematics (27.51%) again indicating that we need more teachers for mathematics in particular and STEM subjects in general.
    2. Examination malpractices have continued as 97 individual candidates and 15 examination centers were suspected to be involved in malpractices.
    3. ZANEC is still concerned that although there has been a progressive increase in the pass rate at Grade 12, the number of scholarships being offered by government to first year students have remained the same. As a result, not all students who have performed well are assured of progressing to tertiary level.
    4. The government, through the Examinations Council of Zambia have not been able to conduct research to generate evidence on the reasons why so many candidates simply register but fail to sit for examinations. Such evidence can help government devise effective strategies for addressing the problem.

    Overall, the increase in the pass rate is a clear demonstration that Zambia has fully remediated the impact of the COVID 19 on education considering that the candidates for the just released results lost a full term of learning in 2020 due to COVID 19.  To this effect, we would like to congratulate the candidates who obtained certificates and our teachers for the job well done.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the Grades 7 and 9 Examination Results for 2022

    ZANEC Press Statement on the Grades 7 and 9 Examination Results for 2022

    2nd January 2023

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased with the timely release of release of the 2022 Grades 7 and 9 Examination Results that were announced statement by the Minister of Education Honorable Douglas Syakalima made on 30th December 2022.

    After a thorough analysis of the results, we applaud the Ministry of Education for the efficiency in handling the Grades 7 and 9 examinations. We are pleased that there was an increase of 7.86% and 9.80% in the number of candidates that sat for both Grade 7 and Grade 9 examinations respectively in 2022 compared to 2021. This increase can be partly attributed to the free education policy that has removed the financial barriers at secondary school level.

    ZANEC is also pleased that the absenteeism rate for grade seven candidates reduced by 1.60, while that of grade 9 candidates reduced by 0.64. Other positive indicators include more girls completing Grades 7 and 9 as well as the ability by the Ministry of Education to have conducted leakage free examinations. We are also happy with the announcement by the Minister of Education that automatic progression from Grade 7 to Grade 8 will be abolished in 2023. This policy pronouncement is overdue as evidenced from the relatively poor Grade 7 results in which only 14.24% obtained division one, 27.03% obtained division two, 21.43% obtained division three and 37.30% obtained division four. Progression based on merit will ensure that those who proceed to grade 8 meet the required learning outcomes.

    It is however sad to note that only 54.16% obtained Grade 9 certificates in 2022 compared to 54.43% in 2021, while 36.51% obtained statement of results, representing   a decrease of 2.03%. This implies that 9.33% failed as they neither obtained certificates nor statement of results. However, we also note with sadness that the number of suspected examination malpractice at grade 9 for individuals was 30 and 17 whole centre cases, while two case were recorded for grade 7. We are however pleased that the Ministry has taken measures to ensure that the culprits are brought to book so that there is credibility in the examination process.

    Finally, we would like to urge our parents and guardians to prepare adequately for the children’s timely return to school in January 2023.

    For/ZANEC

     

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC’S PRESS STATEMENT ON THE NULLIFIED EXTERNAL EXAMINATIONS RESULTS

    ZANEC’S PRESS STATEMENT ON THE NULLIFIED EXTERNAL EXAMINATIONS RESULTS

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) would like to add its voice to the current debate on the nullified 8778 results.

    The Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) Director Dr. Michael Chilala announced on 19th December 2022, that 8778 results for both GCE and Grade 9 external examinations were nullified out of the 143,351 candidates who sat for the 2022 external examinations.

    It is puzzling that 6.1% of those who sat for the examinations had their results nullified. This begs for serious answers from ECZ as well as school managers on how the examination systems were so porous as to allow so many candidates to be involved in malpractices. It is common knowledge that examinations are seriously invigilated by teachers and security officers in the various examination centres. How then were the pupils able to involve themselves in this malpractice?

    Furthermore, we would like to know what criteria ECZ used to nullify the results because while it may have been possible for the candidates to have involved themselves in malpractice, nullifying so many results shows that there are serious loopholes within the examination system that allows for examination malpractices to occur. This creates room for doubt on the calibre of school leavers we have in Zambia as well as the standards of examinations we administer in this Country.

    We are, therefore, appealing to all CSOs and stakeholders to put ECZ to task as they are the custodians of exams in Zambia. If we let the authorities heap the blame on the candidates only, we risk failing to address the root causes.

    I thank you and God bless you all.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga.

    Executive Director

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased to join the rest of the world in commemorating International Day of Persons with Disabilities which falls on 3rd December.  This day is special because it aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. One of rights it reminds us of is the right for all persons with disabilities to access quality education. Education is key and should be accessible by anyone regardless of their abilities as it safeguards everyone’s future.

    This year’s theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world”.   Indeed, the theme has come at the right time when governments from all UN member countries engaged in the transformation of their education systems following the triple education crisis of relevance, equity and learning poverty exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic. Most digital learning solutions adopted by countries globally to provide continuity of learning in homes failed to reach learners with special education needs.

    In Zambia, access to education for learners with special education needs (LSEN) is low, while drop-out rates are very high. For instance, ZANEC notes with sadness that the 2021 Grade 12 Examination Results showed that only 147 candidates registered for the examinations out of which 145 sat for the examinations. This means that only 7% of LSEN sat for the examination from the 2,096 that were in Grade 10 in 2019. This is worrisome because it shows that children with disabilities are dropping out of school in large numbers, which defeats the government commitment of “leaving no one behind”. Further according to the 2019 Education Statistical Bulletin of the Ministry of Education, there are 110, 320 children with special education needs at primary school level compared to 20, 072 learners at secondary school level.  The Global Partnership for Education estimates that 90% of children with disabilities in low and lower-middle income countries do not go to school. It is for this reason that deliberate efforts should be made to ensure that children with disabilities access and finish formal education.

    Therefore, we call upon the government:

    • To take keen interest in the prevailing inequalities and invest more resources and incentives to promote inclusion and equity in our schools if Zambia is to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4 on inclusive quality education for all.
    • It is also important for Zambia to fully implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. It should be noted that Article 24 of the convention clearly affirms the right of to education for persons with disabilities on the basis of equal opportunity.
    • Invest in the establishment of inclusive education systems supported by the presence of early assessment centres for children with disabilities from provincial to district level.
    • Construct more special schools and institutions for children with severe special education needs.

    Finally, ZANEC wishes all stakeholders working with persons with disabilities a successful commemoration of the International Day of Persons with disabilities.

     

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the 2022 Grade 9 External and GCE Examination

    ZANEC Press Statement on the 2022 Grade 9 External and GCE Examination

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased that the Minister of Education Honourable Douglas Syakalima MP released the 2022 Junior Secondary School Grade 9 External Examination results and the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Examination Results.

    First and foremost, ZANEC is happy that the national failure rate for 2022 GCE Examinations decreased from 13.66 percent in 2021 to 11.61 percent in 2022. We also commend the Examinations Council that there were no leakages recorded in both the Grade 9 and GCE Examinations. From a gender perspective ZANEC is pleased that more females are entering for external examinations both at junior secondary and GCE level. This is commendable given that more females than males drop out of school as they proceed to higher grades.

    However, ZANEC is saddened with,

    1. The increase by 2.27% and 1.9% of candidates that were absent from the examination at grade 9 and GCE levels respectively.
    2. The largest failure rates recorded at Grade 9 level which was in the English Language at 63.97% and Mathematics at 51.86%.
    3. The reports of both individual and whole center malpractice related cases involving smuggling of unauthorised materials such as phones in the examination rooms, collusion, copying, impersonation and assistance.

    To this effect, ZANEC is recommending the following in order to address the above challenges.

    1. The Ministry of Education through the Examinations Council of Zambia should commission a study to investigate the cause of candidate absenteeism in examinations and use the evidence to devise interventions that will help address this perennial problem.
    2. There is need for our curriculum to place a premium on foundational skills relating to early grade reading and numeracy if we are to reduce the failure rates in English and Mathematics.
    3. The Examination Council of Zambia must implement a robust campaign aimed at educating prospective examination candidates and teachers on the various examination malpractices and their associated consequences.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR