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Michelle Nyanzira, Chronicle Reporter
TEACHERS have called on Government to suspend the continuous assessment regime as private candidates are facing challenges in registering for public examinations.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education this year adopted the new curriculum where all examination classes will be subjected to a new model that will combine marks for continuous assessment as well as final examinations.

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) secretary general Mr Goodwill Taderera said implementing continuous assessment this year is naturally excluding other learners.

“Continuous assessment needs to be done when learners are invested at a school, as it is a process that should be done throughout the whole learning period. Private candidates will naturally be affected because their records will not be at the schools.

“On formal learners we had numerous lockdowns and that affected the learning processes from last year which will also affect the continuous assessment.

“There is also the incapacitation mantra from the teacher’s side which means there was not really much learning that was going on so even if marks are provided, they will not reflect the actual performances of the learners because it just becomes something to fulfill not something to be done objectively,” he said.

Mr Taderera said lockdown measures put in place by Government could escalate at anytime.

He said: “Government should suspend the continuous assessment, this is a genuine process and it is not bad but under the current circumstances it is not the right time to implement the continuous assessment.

“We call for the Government to consider private candidates and postpone the continuous assessment processes as it will naturally exclude other learners.”

PTUZ president Mr Takavafira Zhou said continuous assessment is supposed to be done in two years, but several students have not started.

“The requirement is that every student must do five tasks per subject so if a student is doing 10 subjects that student must do 50 tasks between the time they open and close in November which is impossible.

“Government should have waited for about two years to implement or given a leeway for other students that are learning without continuous assessment to be accommodated perhaps to write examinations without necessarily doing assessment or should have introduced an equivalent on continuous assessment particularly for private candidates,” he said.

Mr Taderera said continuous assessment has effects on students both private and public.

He said an urgent resolution must be taken before schools open and before registration closes because private candidates need to register.

A private candidate who declined to be named said he went to numerous schools trying to register but he was told that he has to sit in class with other students for him to be assessed.

“Registration is closing soon and l have not registered, it does not make sense for me to wear a uniform for one subject and leave work.

There should be another way for private candidates to register than being neglected,” he said.

In an interview, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education communications and advocacy director Mr Taungana Ndoro said continuous assessment will assist both public and private candidates to have competence-based skills.

“As long as schools are open, continuous assessment is achievable. Private candidates can register before registration closes,” he said.-@michieroxy