Experts from Zambia reviewed and approved the Learning Assessment Systems Evaluation Framework (LASEF) at a meeting convened by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) on 10 and 11 July in Lusaka, Zambia.
The review meeting led by ADEA's Working Group on Education Management and Policy Support (WGEMPS), in partnership with the Network of African Learning Assessments (NALA) and Zambia's Ministry of General Education and the Examinations Council, realigned the norms and standards to integrate the Zambian perspective. Zambia now joins Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal who had already approved the framework.
The workshop attracted 23 participants including Cecelia Sakhala, Director of Standards and Curriculum representing the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of General Education of Zambia; Angel Kaliminwa, Principal Examinations Specialist in the Examinations Council of Zambia; several staff from the Ministry of General Education and the Examinations Council as well as representatives from teachers unions, development cooperation partners and the civil society.
LASEF was developed by WGEMPS in collaboration with the ADEA Inter Country Quality Node on Teaching and Learning (ICQN-TL) and NALA. Its main objective is to advocate for best practices and benchmark countries' capabilities in producing relevant, accurate, timely and comprehensive learning assessment results and information that can be used to improve education management and quality.
In her keynote speech, Sakhala noted that Africa has not performed well in using data for the improvement of quality and relevant education that supports the fulfillment of the objectives of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 (CESA 16-25). She, however, hoped that the implementation of LASEF in Zambia and in other countries will be a key solution towards this challenge.
Speaking on behalf of Shem Bodo, Acting Officer for the Executive Secretary of ADEA, Dzinoreva of WGEMPS applauded the commitment of the Ministry of General Education and the Examinations Council of Zambia as well as its leadership for NALA Anglophone country members.
He highlighted the ultimate goal of LACEF to point out areas of opportunities, gaps and strengths in country assessment and evaluation systems, through peer review mechanism or country-led self-evaluation.
Gertrude Bvindi, Project Analyst (ADEA-WGEMPS), introduced LACEF to participants, explaining the norms and standards and the different uses of the Framework. Participants spent the remaining sessions reviewing the self-evaluation of Zambia's learning assessments system. Angel Kaliminwa closed the meeting and welcomed the implementation of the framework as a step that will certainly improve the assessment system in Zambia.
For more information on the event, please contact:
Mahuba Hazemba, Provincial Education Standards Officer, Ministry of General Education, Zambia, T. (+260) 9667 54861, whmahuba@yahoo.com
Makha Ndao, Coordinator, ADEA Working Group on Education Management and Policy Support (WGEMPS), T. (+263) 4775 776-9, m.ndao@afdb.org
About ADEA:
The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a forum for policy dialogue, composed of all Ministers in charge of education, science and technology in Africa. Established in 1988 at the instigation of the World Bank Group, it has evolved into a pan-African institution based within the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). ADEA's work has expanded to focus more on the development of skills and competencies across all the education sub-sectors. It envisions a "high quality African education and training system that is geared towards the promotion of critical knowledge and skills for accelerated and sustainable development in Africa". http://www.adeanet.org
