A blame game has ensued between basic education authorities and its stakeholders, including unions and associations representing the interests of teachers as well as those of learners over the adopted education curriculum. The standoff is playing itself out and amplified by the very bad performance of the grade 11 class of 2021, which saw only 18.8% of last year’s candidates qualifying to progress to Advanced Subsidiary level subjects. Of 46 977 full-time candidates who wrote the exam last year, 38 000 (81%) are unable to proceed to the Advanced Subsidiary level, but can land themselves placement at some local universities and vocational training centres, provided they meet admission requirements. Ironically, education minister Anna Nghipondoka has defended this woeful showing, saying learners who do not qualify for AS level did not fail. 

“The old curriculum excluded some learners from doing high level. It doesn’t mean the learners failed. They did not fail. They still qualify with C or B in English, and can enrol to other high institutions. The confusion came last year when some institutions said they won’t take these kids. The ordinary level for grade 11 in this new curriculum is the same as the old curriculum for grade 12. The children are not thrown on the streets, and they are not failing. Those not meeting requirements have other options. Last year, we decided that learners below 17 years old are allowed to repeat,” Nghipondoka attempted to assure the nation this week. 

Although proponents of the new curriculum are maintaining it will eventually improve the quality of education in the country, there is skepticism about the planning thereof, with many commentators believing it was not thought through. There are no two ways about it. Our education, which is already characterised by crumbling infrastructure and many other pressing challenges, has reached a crisis of epic proportions. The state of affairs actually perpetuates inequality as poor learners are the hardest-hit by this conundrum, and many do not have the privilege to improve their grades at private institutions and earn themselves placement to pursue the AS level. There is no doubt that disruptions over the last two years have had an impact on the performance of learners across various grades. The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, has left untold psychological harm on both teacher and learner. However, education authorities certainly cannot escape blame for this mess we find ourselves in. When government abolished grade 10 external examinations in 2018, alarm bells were already raised, with stakeholders taking issue with the proposed changes of the new curriculum, which is the biggest since 1994 when Cambridge HIGSCE and IGSCE courses were introduced. Concerns were raised that teachers were not coping and not adequately trained to teach the new curriculum, while unionists claimed it will do more harm than good. Many schools still don’t have the libraries, laboratories and access to electricity and the internet that would have made teaching and learning under HIGSCE and IGSCE easier. Schools in rural areas with squalid and makeshift ablution facilities are expected to compete with the well-resourced urban schools. It’s not fair. 

Lest we forget, the right to education is legally guaranteed for all, without any discrimination.

The bottom line, however, is that there is no marked improvement as far as education reform is concerned. We are sitting with the very same problems that have been plaguing the sector for years, including many parents not taking responsibility for their children’s education, and lack of resources on the part of government. 

It doesn’t look like the new dispensation is going to produce the number of entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers we need to solve our pressing and longstanding challenges. It might only manage to grow the already outsized legion of unemployed and unemployable youth.