THERE is currently a debate in government circles on whether or not to stick with five ordinary level subject passes as the benchmark which makes a student eligible for Advanced Level and tertiary education, acting Primary and Secondary Education permanent secretary Peter Muzawazi said recently.
Currently, for a student to be deemed to have passed, he should have five Ordinary Level passes including english and mathematics.
Muzawazi told stakeholders who attended a recent parliamentary committee workshop on education strategic planning that the government was debating the wisdom of forcing students to retake subjects that they would have failed and not encouraging them to pursue careers in areas they would have excelled.
“We are debating on whether we should maintain the current benchmark of regarding only those who have attained five Ordinary Level passes as having passed and having others re-writing for 10 years even if they would have passed three art subjects and are hoping to take art as their profession,” said Muzawazi.
If adopted, it would be a major shift towards recognising and supporting pupils who are not academically gifted to pursue areas that they excel in.
Contributing at the same event, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda also queried why the country was insistent on ‘‘A’’ Level as a pre-requisite to university entry while other countries with even more advanced tertiary education systems like the United States of America are accepting ordinary level students.
Mudenda said other countries not insisting on ‘‘A’’ Level were still producing competent professionals.
“Is it really that important to use ‘A’ Level as an entry qualification to university when other countries with sound educational systems accept lower level qualifications like ordinary level and matric examinations?,” Mudenda queried.
Zimbabwean students who apply for scholarships and get admission in universities in the United States of America often do so based on the strength of their ordinary level qualifications.
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council director Lazarus Nembaware said the decision to use ‘‘A’’ Levels as the university entry benchmark was primarily influenced system by Zimbabwe’s former coloniser — the United Kingdom — where such a practice was the norm.
He was, however, quick to point out that students who undergo ‘‘A’’ Level education are better prepared for university education than those who don’t.
Nembaware added that even if ‘‘A’’ Level education were to be scrapped, its content would be incorporated into the first year of university study.
Daily News