It is an undeniable reality that all the classroom practices and academic activities in Pakistani classrooms are shaped by examinations. Any decision or changes being suggested in the process of evaluation or assessment will have long lasting effects on over all education in the country. Hence it is imperative that the imposition of Board exams in the name of Assessment for Grade V should be discussed at length with all the stake holders and all aspects of the decision should be carefully studied in advance. The haste in which this naively planned program is being imposed on private schools is questionable.
The Examination Boards in KPK have proposed that the students of Grade V will be required to appear in an ‘Assessment’ that will be summative in nature. The papers will be based on the Students Learning Outcomes of the Curriculum, meaning that, it will not be compulsory for the students to study the textbooks prescribed by the Textbook Board of KPK. This is perhaps an oversimplification of a very complex process. Further the ground realities indicate that the implementation of this exam will create unforeseen damage to the creativity and emotional well-being of the children.
Any examination system cannot be seen in isolation. The government of KPK is very easily neglecting important components of education like curricula, textbooks and teachers training. A mere focus on changing the pattern of exams from Formative Assessment to Summative will hardly play any role in improving the standards of education, especially in Private Schools where very well planned Assessments of children is carried out. After the 18th amendment in April 2010, the development of curriculum was made a provincial subject. The National Curriculum made by the Federal Ministry of Education in 2006, has neither been upgraded by the Government of KP nor are there any plans underway to do so in near future. Furthermore, the task of creating textbooks based on the curriculum of 2006 has not even been completed.
The curriculum suggests that lesson plans should be developed by the teachers on the basis of Student Learning Outcomes enlisted in the National Curriculum. This task requires intensive training for teachers. Ironically, neither the Government gave any importance to this idea of teachers’ training, nor encouraged Private sector to take any initiative. In this context, where the lesson planning is based on a single textbook, how can we justify that an exam paper should be set based on the SLOs of the Curriculum? With semi-trained teachers, there is a great possibility that introduction of Board Exams in Class V will emerge as an example of lack of consistency between the teaching and evaluation process. In fact for too little learning, too much evaluation will take place in the classroom which is tantamount to destroying the atmosphere conducive to acquisition of quality education.
The pressure from parents to succeed with high grades in Board exams will increase the anxiety in students. The summer and winter breaks of young children will be devoted to preparation for board exams. The concept of school being a happy place will slip away from our own hands. Fear of failure can be overwhelming in some children. Tuition academies, claiming top positions in board and 100% success rate will surface in every street. Financial burden on parents will increase. Instead of exploring the playgrounds and parks, the children will be forced to join academies or have personal tutors at home in afternoons. Who will be responsible for the further addition to the already alarming dropout rate of students from schools at Primary level?
The Examination Boards in KPK have proposed that the students of Grade V will be required to appear in an ‘Assessment’ that will be summative in nature. The papers will be based on the Students Learning Outcomes of the Curriculum, meaning that, it will not be compulsory for the students to study the textbooks prescribed by the Textbook Board of KPK. This is perhaps an oversimplification of a very complex process. Further the ground realities indicate that the implementation of this exam will create unforeseen damage to the creativity and emotional well-being of the children.
Any examination system cannot be seen in isolation. The government of KPK is very easily neglecting important components of education like curricula, textbooks and teachers training. A mere focus on changing the pattern of exams from Formative Assessment to Summative will hardly play any role in improving the standards of education, especially in Private Schools where very well planned Assessments of children is carried out. After the 18th amendment in April 2010, the development of curriculum was made a provincial subject. The National Curriculum made by the Federal Ministry of Education in 2006, has neither been upgraded by the Government of KP nor are there any plans underway to do so in near future. Furthermore, the task of creating textbooks based on the curriculum of 2006 has not even been completed.
The curriculum suggests that lesson plans should be developed by the teachers on the basis of Student Learning Outcomes enlisted in the National Curriculum. This task requires intensive training for teachers. Ironically, neither the Government gave any importance to this idea of teachers’ training, nor encouraged Private sector to take any initiative. In this context, where the lesson planning is based on a single textbook, how can we justify that an exam paper should be set based on the SLOs of the Curriculum? With semi-trained teachers, there is a great possibility that introduction of Board Exams in Class V will emerge as an example of lack of consistency between the teaching and evaluation process. In fact for too little learning, too much evaluation will take place in the classroom which is tantamount to destroying the atmosphere conducive to acquisition of quality education.
The pressure from parents to succeed with high grades in Board exams will increase the anxiety in students. The summer and winter breaks of young children will be devoted to preparation for board exams. The concept of school being a happy place will slip away from our own hands. Fear of failure can be overwhelming in some children. Tuition academies, claiming top positions in board and 100% success rate will surface in every street. Financial burden on parents will increase. Instead of exploring the playgrounds and parks, the children will be forced to join academies or have personal tutors at home in afternoons. Who will be responsible for the further addition to the already alarming dropout rate of students from schools at Primary level?
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