EDUCATION SYSTEM

Apr 12, 2022 Irene Lamunu Leading Education 0

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What will happen after PLE is scrapped off

The government of Uganda in 1987 commissioned an Education Policy
Review Commission (EPRC) which was headed by Professor Senteza
Kajubi. The EPRC came up with a report, the Government White Paper, which was adopted by the government in 1992. It became the blue print of education service provision, on which the current education system is
implemented. Since then, the government has been executing policies in the education sector based on the Government White Paper of 1992, denoting that it’s now 30 years, since government made major reforms in the education sector. However, the good news is that after 30 years, the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) is again to review the entire education system as adopted in 1992. The minister of education and sports,
Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, recently instituted another Education Policy Review Commission, which started its work in May 2021. It’s meant to review the current education system by enquiring into its efficacy and relevance. One of the key issues that the public is concerned about, is the scrapping of Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Several Ugandans are
calling for the scrapping of PLE and overhauling of the assessment framework. A lot of questions are raised about the worth of PLE. However, this is not the first time this indication is being brought in the public domain. It was first published in World Bank’s 13th Edition of the Uganda Economic update report, recommending to scrap PLE in Uganda and
embrace the policy on automatic promotion. However, this proposal was received with mixed reactions from Ugandans. It’s therefore important to analyse PLE and its place in Uganda’s education. PLE helps learners’ transition from Primary to Secondary school and makes learners work hard to meet its demands, albeit, it leaves a lot desired and many questions unanswered. In the first place, how can a learner’s seven years of education be determined by an examination sat in two or three hours? Does PLE assess critical Knowledge, Skills, Attitude, Values and Ethics needed for 21st century work place? Does it add any value to education or it’s detrimental? It’s important to realize that today, there are new ways of working, new
tools of working and new ways of living. Today’s work place requires that new set of skills and new structures are in place. For PLE to be relevant, it’s when it’s able to assess learners in critical skills and knowledge needed in
the context of realities of today. For any good assessment framework, it should be able to asses both cognitive and non-cognitive skills. But the question at hand is, how can such skills be assessed in schools? According to Program for International Assessment (PISA), the 21st century skills (i.e. Communication, Creativity, Collaboration and Critical thinking- the 4Cs and digital literacies) should be integrated in education systems and assessed progressively. Good assessment system should put in consideration
Knowledge, Skills, Attitude, Values and Ethics (KSAVE). Currently, PLE is more aligned to assessment of only knowledge, which disregards the importance of other education domains i.e. affective (attitudes, values and
ethics) and Psychomotor (skills). Our education has created a “mismatch” between what is taught and assessed and the realities of the job market. In a situation like this, there is need to map out what must be taught, when and
how to be taught, what to be assessed and how and when to be assessed. Currently, PLE is characterized of fill up work, for pupils to pass examinations. Pupils are intensively coached to pass PLE without any consideration for relevant competencies. In this manner, the development of skills and major competencies is thwarted since pupils’ concentration is entirely on passing the final examins, other than comprehending what is taught. In my conversation with John Bosco Mutebi, the Head teacher
of one of Lohana Schools, he noted that “PLE is impractical because it does not holistically measure the child’s learning; yet, the best is to use continuous assessment.” According to the EPRC findings in 1987, the education system was examination driven but never examined practical and soft skills and recommended continuous assessment for learners.
The Government, in its White Paper on Education (1992), directed that continuous assessment was to begin with second term of 2004, beginning with P5 and P6 in the four subjects. Observations were to be done daily, written formal tests were to be done once a month and a record kept, for submission to UNEB at the end of term one in Primary Seven. The monitoring of implementation was to be done by MoES agencies, such as;
District Inspectorate and UNEB who were to do technical audit checks for quality control and assurance. However, it never went as planned till to date. Continuous assessment as a replacement of PLE, evaluates the learner cumulatively and has advantage over one-time examination, as it reduces stress, anxiety and fear associated with end of level examinations. The “examination fever sicknesses” will be eradicated among the pupils. Learners earn points on a daily basis and accumulate these over the period, which are taken into account in the final grading. More so, it’s in line with one of the contemporary 21st century learner assessment methodology of “Learner Development Progression” which has proved effective in assessing learners holistically. If we scrap PLE, then it’s imperative to expand the scope of competencies to be assessed

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