HARARE – Government is in the process of reviewing the Continuous Assessment Learning Areas (CALA) which has seen parents involuntarily assume the burden of performing the compulsory assignments for their children.
Plans to review the contentious programme were revealed in parliament this past week by Primary and Secondary Education deputy minister Edgar Moyo.
Moyo said the process is part of an all-encompassing review of the national schools’ curriculum.
“Currently, we are running a curriculum review process,” Moyo told backbenchers Wednesday.
“This week, we are finishing the training for people to conduct the reviews.
“I think, next week on the 16th (of May), that is when we are going to have the national review session which is going to run nationally in all settings.
“It is there that we expect to receive recommendations from different stakeholders on how to view the entire curriculum including this formative examination situation which we call Continuous Assessment Learning Areas (CALA).”
Legislators said in its current form, CALA was burdening parents who find themselves having to do most of their children’s work.
Moyo said school authorities “have been trained to package the assignments into manageable units; not to choke the children by giving them everything at once”.
The top government official said the contentious examination format shall remain part of the system, adding, “We find it very useful because it then assists in the teaching of critical thinking of our children; our children must be trained to critically think.”
He maintained CALA was another way of assessing school children.
Teachers’ groups however find government’s curriculum review processes flawed.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) said the methodology being used to review the curriculum will always produce defective outcomes.
“Critical questions like quantity of Continuous Assessment Learning Activities are not addressed.
“Also there is no room to discuss other issues like quantity of assessment methods.
“The ministry prepared its own questions from which they expect their own answers.
“It seems the whole exercise is for the ministry to use stakeholders to rubber-stamp their own product.”
Added the group, “ARTUZ calls for the revision of the process so that Zimbabwe produces a Curriculum compatible with both our education needs and resources at our disposal.”
