Good results, but efforts must be stepped up

Good results, but efforts must be stepped up
By Editor
Wednesday January 02, 2008 [03:00]

The grade seven results announced by education minister Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa on Monday may not be desirable, but they point to a positive future if only the pace of progress can be stepped up.

Looking at the statistics, it is clear that something positive has come out in terms of the number of primary school children who will move on to another important stage of their education. The pass rate of 60.33 per cent when compared to last year's 52.65 per cent is a feat not to be simply ignored and we should hold all those involved in achieving such a result in very high esteem.

Of course number one on the list of those to be praised are the teachers, who despite being subjected to difficult conditions in recent years, have stayed faithful and committed to the noble cause of ensuring that our children continue to benefit from a full course of education.

We are saying all this because we are fully aware that the right to education not only occupies a central place in human rights but is also very essential for the exercise of all other human rights, especially those inclined towards human development. As an empowerment right, it cannot be disputed that education is a key vehicle through which economically and socially marginalised children, youth and adults alike can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities.

There are many reasons why as much as possible, it should be endeavoured that children are kept in school systems because we know that schools not only offer a safe environment for them, but are an avenue through which children learn to pick up life skills that are necessary as they grow up and develop into adults.

For the usually vulnerable girl children who are exposed to all sorts of risks when they are not in school, putting them into school provides a safe environment against vices such as sexual abuse, exploitation and early marriages. For many children in rural areas where life conditions are difficult, schools also provide a safe haven for them because in most cases that is the only place they are likely to have access to latrines, clean water and possibly meals and health care.

But as we speak right now, amidst excitement with the progress registered this year for grade seven results, most of the basics required for a decent education for young children do not exist and a lot has to be done if we are to claim a desirable state of education for children. For instance, we still need to be concerned that out of the 315,177 pupils who entered for the 2007 exams, only 288,708 actually wrote the exams.

We should probe and find out why a total of 26,469 candidates were absent during the examinations. What really happened to them? Where are they? Do they have a future to look forward to? What about the other 39.67 per cent of the 288,708 children that have not made it to the next level? Where are these children going? Are they all going to be repeaters or is this the end of their road to education? All these questions are important and they need to be answered.

Further, now that the numbers are going up in terms of pupils qualifying to secondary education, do we have the institutional and infrastructural capacity to absorb the new numbers? As the number of pupils going to grade eight goes up, are there corresponding efforts in terms of increasing capacity both in terms of institutional and infrastructural development? How many more new schools are being built in order to take care of the new numbers without necessarily overstretching or overburdening the few schools that are available? Are we training enough teachers for secondary or high school education in order to match the obviously increasing demand from the high pass rate being recorded at primary level?

We are asking these questions because we know that while it may not be realistic, the ideal situation should be that all the candidates who sit for grade seven examinations should be guaranteed of a place in some school within our education system in case the most improbable happened that all of them made it to the next level. We are saying this because we are acutely aware that education for all is one of the Millennium Development Goals that need to be met by our country by the year 2015. However, for the education goal to be met, we believe that whatever actions we take will need to address both human and material needs - infrastructure, materials such as books as well as teachers - and of course the organic requirements of getting all children into school and making sure they complete a quality education. These may also include gender equality in society, good health and nutrition, and particularly the strong backing of governments and communities for all education policies.

As we stated at the beginning, it is encouraging that this year's grade seven results reflect a positive outlook for the future and if they can be improved upon year-by-year, the future of the children of this country may glitter more and more with the passage of time. Again, this will entirely depend upon the kinds of actions to be taken by the government and other stakeholders. Progressive and pragmatic - and not utopian - actions will be required to ensure that every child benefits from a full course of primary education not only by 2015, but for the foreseeable future as well.

So as we bask in the glory of a 60.3 per cent pass rate, let us not forget that there is actually need for every effort to be made in order to step up the pace recorded thus far.