Minister of Basic Education, Fidelis Molao says his Ministry intends to reform the Primary School assessment over the next three years in line with the provisions of the recently developed draft General Education Curriculum and Assessment Framework (GECAF).
Molao who was responding to Member of Parliament, Pono Moathodi’ s question without notice in Parliament said that the Ministry was consulting with various stakeholders on the system.
He said that the move is part of the major reforms arising from the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan ((ETSSP) 2015-2020.
He said that ETSSP aims to provide an overall policy and strategic sector framework for the education sector that will play a pivotal role in the development of a modern, sustainable knowledge based economy that supports inclusiveness and diversity. “One of the key decisions yet to be made in considering the draft GECAF relates to the discontinuation of PSLE which is in line with international trends, in order to replace it with a robust school based assessment system.”
Molao added that the new system will entail giving more time to learning than teaching with emphasis on continuous standardized school based assessment for progressive learning.
He gave examples of countries such as Finland, Lesotho, Namibia, England and Australia as some that have dealt away with the PSLE equivalent examinations. “The Ministry will be introducing standardized school based continuous assessment so that learners are constructively and continuously assessed as they progress with their learning,” he said.
Molao noted that the progressive assessment will provide valuable information on the achievement of learners in various content domains as they continue with the course of study and thus strengthen remedial teaching to ensure that learners acquire the necessary skills and competencies.