The Sunday News
Nelson Masukume, Sunday News Correspondent
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Bubi district, Matabeleland North province has struck a two-year partnership with Education Development Trust, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in a bid to improve Grade 7 and O-level results in schools.
Some schools in the district, have been posting less than 20 percent rate, which is lower than six other districts in the province. Education Development Trust (EDT) and Ministry of Education officials have started conducting teacher and school heads trainings and re-orientation on various topics ranging from classroom teaching methodologies to best alternatives of school administration.
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The exercise that began two weeks ago focuses on building capacities in schools in order to improve both literary and numeracy.
Speaking at the official opening of a five- day workshop recently for school heads and teachers drawn from Inkosikazi South and Central Clusters at Bubi Centre, Mrs Sinini Mpofu-Marandu who is the District Remedial Tutor said; “Our pass rate is poor with some schools scoring as low as zero percent.
Our partnership as Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education with Education Development Trust collaboratively seeks to bring evidence-based transformative strategies that enhance the future and education of these children in schools.”
Mrs Mpofu-Marandu urged school heads and teachers to use the acquired knowledge to put remedial strategies aimed at unlocking problems associated with numeracy and non-reading among pupils, which result in high failure rate at Grade 7 Examinations.
During the five-day workshop, participants were taken through the School Leadership Toolkits one and two, School Leader Competency Framework, TEACH —Professional Development Module on Listening and Speaking For Primary Literary, and Module on Catch Up Strategies aimed at developing reading and Mathematics proficiencies among learners while bridging the learning gaps exacerbated by the Covid-19 induced learning disruptions of 2020 and 2021.
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In 2021, 51 primary schools in Matabeleland North Province recorded zero percent in Grade 7 examinations, a slight improvement from 85 schools that scored zero percent in 2020.
Several other stakeholders including the Bubi Rural District Council have also moved in to address the poor results especially in primary schools.
Scores of heads drawn from across Bubi primary and secondary schools converged on Inyathi Training Centre where they were addressed by Bubi Rural District Council Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patson Mlilo who reiterated the local authority’s renewed approach that will see council partake in efforts aimed at improving results in council-run schools.
