Govt: CALA To Remain Part Of Zimbabwe's School Curriculum, With Reduced Components
Continuous Assessment Learning Activities (CALA) will remain a part of Zimbabwe‘s primary and secondary school curriculum, but the number of components per subject may be reduced.
This decision comes after a series of public consultation meetings held by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to review the curriculum introduced in 2015.
CALA was the most contentious issue, with many stakeholders calling for its removal. However, the ministry’s communications and advocacy director, Mr Taungana Ndoro, said that there was a misunderstanding of what CALA is and that public awareness campaigns would be conducted to educate parents. The Sunday Mail quotes him as saying:
Most parents and stakeholders do not understand what CALA is and think that it is expensive and can only be conducted if one is connected to the internet, which is wrong and not true.
As the ministry, we realised that those who believe it should be scrapped or removed from the school curriculum do not understand it. So, starting from next week (this week), we are conducting awareness campaigns that seek to educate parents about CALA and what it is.
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Education expert Professor Caiphas Nziramasanga, whose research under the Nziramasanga Commission formed the genesis of CALA, recommended reducing the number of CALA components per subject to ensure learners fully benefit from the exercise. He said:
Reduction of the number of activities per subject should depend on the grade or ability of the learner. A learner should have one or two activities per subject they master from primary to secondary level.
After O level or A Level, if they cannot proceed, they can join vocational training centres.
The research part should be removed and the activities left with a practical side that lets the learner get the highest point of skills in any activity.
CALA should be used to screen learners, so that those who are not academically gifted can exclusively focus on practical subjects and they can be assessed by HEXCO (Higher Education Examinations Council).
This helps learners to be masters in specific disciplines. The education we now need is one that lets learners create their own employment.
CALA was introduced in 2021 and is used to evaluate learners’ progress throughout a course of study and to promote critical thinking, innovation, and problem-solving skills.
Learners in examination classes work on projects that constitute 30 percent of the final mark.
