Patrick Hilbert
22 January 2008
Port Louis — The Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) is due to disappear. although, the ministry of Education hasn't mentioned a specific date up to now, this evaluation exercise should be part of history in a few years.
This secene of pupils going to sit for CPE might be a thing of the past in the near future.
It's about time, one would say. After decades of criticism by pedagogues, the authorities have finally taken the decision to do away with a system that discriminates more then it educates. "The absence of a mechanism to monitor in a systematic way children's progress in the primary cycle leads to serious weaknesses in the system", states the Primary Curriculum framework that was made public last Thursday. The 171-page document is the road map, which aims to change the way our children learn. It has taken more then two years to prepare it and many more years are needed to turn it into reality.
Definitely, the need for change is there. Every year, only 75% of a cohort successfully completes the primary cycle with the result that one quarter of this cohort aged 12 is illiterate. And that's only the beginning. The relatively high repetition and drop-out rates at different levels, as well as the fact that only 55% of a cohort successfully completes the lower secondary and 27% the upper secondary shows that our system is not an inclusive one, but rather a selective one.
Because the CPE examination concerns only certification and selection for admission into secondary schools, it does not give any feedback on where the problem of the learner is situated and how to remedy it.
"The CPE Certificate will no longer be based exclusively on a one-off end-of-year written exam, but on continuous assessment."
Despite the high drop-out rate, the lack of flexibility in the provision of alternative qualifications means that that those children do not have enough pathways to choose from. And those who manage to stay on board follow courses that are deemed to be too academically oriented and not preparing for the work environment.
A new form of assessment, which diagnoses the strengths, weaknesses and needs of the pupils is needed. Keeping this in mind, a "gradual redesigning of the CPE will start so that the results provide a better profile of the aptitudes of the children", according to the Primary Curriculum framework. The ministry expects this to take three to four years, during which period continuous assessment will be gradually introduced and reinforced.
Through continuous assessment, teachers will be able to detect where things are going wrong and how to put the child in need back on track. "The CPE Certificate will no longer be based exclusively on a one-off end-of-year written exam, but on the basis of continuous assessment. Once the medium-term mode of assessment for certification has been successfully implemented and validated, it will be possible to implement the long-term proposal providing for the inclusion of continuous assessment marks for both certification and selection purposes at CPE level."
Once this is implemented, it will be time to go to a higher level. "It is only after the successful implementation of the medium-term objectives that it will be possible to abolish the CPE altogether as a certification and selection examination, enabling the nation's children to move on to Form III, where their potential will be measured for diagnostic and orientation purposes." This means that the transition from Std VI to Form I will take place in a smooth manner.
However, at the end of Std V, there will be a national test in Languages, Mathematics, Basic Science, History & Geography. "Assessment of Life Skills through portfolios will be carried out by the teacher. The tests will be designed by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate and the Mauritius Institute of Education but marking and recording will be done by the teachers at school level."
Other major changes will be gradually introduced. Some will probably start as from this year. The pupils' progress card, to monitor how every child develops, is one of them. Shortly, a new subject - sexual education - should be introduced in Std VI.
These changes also mean that the teachers will be more than ever at the heart of the system. That's why the MIE intends to give them intensive courses to enable them to fit into the new paradigm shift. Dharam Gokhool, minister of Education, commented last Thursday on the importance of moving from one system to another. "We have to reform and liberate the full potential of every child of this country." Although he conceded that it is certainly not easy to enter into such a huge reform process, the minister stated that he was more and more satisfied with the growing positive response to his actions.
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT CRUCIAL TO THE REFORM'S SUCCESS
â- At the moment, a dose of continuous assessment depends on teachers' will. For organisational reasons, they sometimes evaluate their pupils during the year because the term is really short. But it is only a matter of time management while continuous assessment truly implies pedagogical advantages for the pupils. The system has not made any room for this method so far.
However, continuous assessment is said to bring teachers and learners closer. Teachers can check very rapidly whether all pupils have understood concepts and explanations and eventually go back over specific lessons when appropriate. With the present system, pupils are assessed just once a term. Continuous assessment could become a valuable tool to reduce the CPE failure rate. Teachers would have a better follow-up of their pupils' work all year long. Waiting until the end of the term means it is often too late for teachers to undertake any revision of basic notions.
So long as the system remains the same, not many teachers will dare go off the beaten track to assess their pupils on a regular basis. It is only with radical changes in the system that there will be a mind shift. This new system will, however, have to be implemented with a dose of psychology by teachers. They will have to make sure that the stress of one single exam does not become the stress of several exams during the year. Playing down the notion of assessing knowledge will have to go along with the reform of the system
P. E.
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