Showing posts with label MSU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSU. Show all posts

Phasing Out Grades 8, 10 and 12 Examinations Must Be Done With Care


Phasing out examinations at Grades 8,10 and 12 can have serious impact on standard of education in the country - it will affect both students' behaviour to learning (study) and teachers' approach to teaching. 

This change (if it happens) will completely revolutionise, for worse or for better, the whole teaching-and-learning process. This change must be done with caution.

It must be done with proper planning and based on proper academic research or a special parliamentary committee findings. I don't think changing the system to meet some UN's Medium Development Goals (MDGs) is the best way. Compulsory education at elementary and primary schools and compulsory education at secondary school have to be differentiated when it comes to discussing educational changes and how each stage is catered for in terms of giving every child the best chance to excel in life.

As learnt from the curriculum change, OBE-1993, a change without clear plan is doomed to fail.Therefore, among the three main changes (Structural change 2016, Curriculum Change 2015, Examination Change) a clear plan must be set in motion prior to implementing it. The details, thereof, must be communicated to all stakeholders so that they also know what is expected, instead of expecting the unexpected.

We (by 'we' I mean the politicians, senior education officials and all stakeholders) must know what is actually changing, and not just about what is changing. So, what is the alternative to phasing out examinations? Will the 'new' assessment style be formal, informal or a bit of both? How will it be carried out and who will be responsible, teachers or Measurement Service Division?

I want to see improvement in the way examinations are conducted, I want to see spaces expanding and more students make it to Grade 12, but phasing-out exams, just,  to let everyone through without a rigorous assessment and or examination system may not be the best thing for our children now and in the future.

Here is what other Papua New Guineans are saying about this change.

CHEATING: EXAMINATION BODY LIKE EDEXCEL, AQA (UK) OR NSW BoS (AUSTRALIA) CAN IMPROVE STANDARD



2015 Legal Studies Paper  Appeared Online Before The Exam. Source: Facebook

Past and present reports have indicated students bought exam papers prior to sitting examinations. Someone along the chain of conducting national examinations (preparing, printing, storing, transporting/storing and taking exams) deliberately leaked them to sell, a serious breach of trust.


Another area where not exam papers, but exam questions are likely to be leaked is during setting (or compiling) exams. Teachers and lecturers (the exam writers) who are usually swept away to set exam questions - are they trustworthy? 

Apparently, possibilities for tempering with these important documents are many. An article here explains where exam papers are stolen, the hotspots.

You may have realised that pinpointing a hotspot is quite complicated. Many people are involved. Education secretaries and ministers have failed to sort out this mess. No wonder it has been happening (and continues to happen) for many years.

2013 and 2014 were worst years of cheating. Many schools in Highlands were alleged to have cheated. Students in Enga and Simbu were left out of selection to tertiary institutions as a result. I remember Enga governor took that matter to court. School boards from two schools in Simbu alleged to have cheated also took the matter to court.

2014 Maths A Leaked Questions Discussed on Facebook
A clear case of cheating happened last year when a teacher admitted to be given 10 Maths A questions prior to Maths  examination. He later found out that those 10 questions appeared in the actual exam, word for word including the diagrams (Here is the link https://goo.gl/z21q9L).


A recent case was also discussed in PNG teachers' Facebook group. This clearly showed legal studies exam paper (screen shot above) was circulated on the morning of Wednesday 21/10/2015.

It is obvious (AGAIN) that papers are already out there  - in students hands - before they are taking the exam this year. What is Measurement Service Division (MSD) doing about it? What can the acting Education Secretary and minister do about this serious problem? 

These examples are not intended to 'rub mud' on those responsible for examinations in the country, but to highlight their ignorance. Though there were widespread instances of cheating in successive years, nothing was DONE to stop it.

Another area exam cheaters are having an easy ride is entry to major institutions like UPNG and UNITECH. Selectors seem to have no 'filter' for identifying cheats. Leaders at tertiary institutions have to stand at the door and identify who enters their institutions. Education leaders who do not want 'rotten apples' in their establishment must play their part.

2015 exams started off with acting Education Secretary giving stern warning after newspapers reported cheating in Grade 10 Written Expression exam. So, what is going to happened when there are instances of exam papers floating around before exams?

The acting Education Secretary must act his words when he said  “If a grade 10 or 12 student is found to have cheated, all the grade 10 or 12 students in the particular  school that the student belongs to will be penalised,” warned Dr Kombra.

His words have no effect if nothing is done. In retrospect, in 2014 Enga governor and school administrators in Simbu fought tooth to nail to have their students considered for certification and selection. They knew it was unjust on other students who did not cheat. Penalising the whole school is 'just over the top'. Are we likely to see the acting secretary's words vaporise into thin air?

Individuals involved in setting examinations to storage and delivery of exam papers are, seriously, jeopardising the whole process. They cannot be trusted any more. The signs are obvious, aren't they? But, we cannot go on blaming students, teachers, invigilators, principals or other individuals. Blaming ' that someone' in the system will not SOLVE the problem. If the education department wants to halt cheating, it has to start thinking outside the box.

Measurement Service Division (formerly Measurement Service Unit and Measurement Service Board) tasked to make examination epitome shrouded in secrecy has failed on its responsibility. This division lacks the ability to safeguard exam papers. It has failed to deliver successful examinations. It has - time and time again - failed the government it is serving. The buck stops with MSD. It, surely, needs to shape up or ship out. 

Prioritising this section of education division (MSD) is the best thing the government can do going forward - give it a fresh look. How can it be done?  Our leaders in politics and education do not have to look further than counties like Australia and UK.

Establish an examination body (an agency) that is independent from and separate of the education department: yet one that is task to improve standard of examination as well as protecting it from tempering. Enable the examination body to employ and place people in strategic (full-time) positions throughout the country to make it work. 

The examination organisation has to be empowered to  perform in all areas of internal assessments and examinations from elementary to secondary schools and tertiary institutions. The body must also be given the ability to collect internal and external assessment data and make informed reports. Overall, it must be a body that focuses on effective and efficient exertion of assessments and examinations, evaluations and reports.

Edexcel and AQA in the UK, and NSW Board of Studies in Australia  are prime examples of such examination agencies. They are separate examining and awarding body focused on maintaining examination standards from setting questions to conducting, marking, evaluating, reporting and awarding merits.

I do not think money is a matter of debate. The government has allocations for exams. Last year it allocated K1 million just for marking alone. MSB is a statutory division of the education department. There is funding allocation for it to function. So, there is no question about lack of funds. What is needed is a bit of foresight and the right human resource to make it work.

Examinations are culminations of years of work from all stakeholders. Why can't PNG have a body capable of delivering successful examinations? 

K1 Million for Marking Grade 12 Examination Papers: Consultants, NDoE and MSU To Give Back To PNG Government Factual Stats

Papua New Guinea’s National Department of Education (NDoE) and Measurement Service Unit (MSU) should look forward to this month, just like Grade 12 teachers and principals would at this time. Every school representative gathers in the capital city for marking Grade 12 examination papers.

Coming to Port Moresby is icing on the cake for many teachers. They have ‘slaved’ away in classrooms during the years preparing students for further education. What better way to start an early Christmas holiday with the visit to nation’s capital, a nice room in one of the expensive hotels and some spare coins from NDoE. Well deserved!

Principals and school Board of Governors are anticipating tip-off from select markers on how well their students are performing.

Take a look at how much one province spent on marking of Grade 10 exam papers. Morobe Provincial Government allocated K20 000 for Grade 10 marking which was exhausted before completion of marking. Apparently, marking resumed after two days.

A senior marker said (see EMTV NEWS report) K30 000 was needed to complete the marking without any hindrance. He cautioned that due to additional papers from newly introduced subjects mean increase funding - a total funding to a tune of K50 000 was sufficient to cover all costs. 

Obviously, marking of Grade 12 papers would require more money. So, how much would this cost the government? No one knows how much NDoE is planning to spend on this exercise to this date.

NDoE will bring teachers to Port Moresby (how many teachers are involved in the marking?); NDoE must provide accommodation (where are markers living and what is the rate per night?); NDoE must feed the markers (how much does it cost per meal?); Logistics have to be provided (who provides it and how much does it cost?)

One province put the estimated at K50 000. Think 22 provinces, it could probably cost PNG government more than K1 000 000.

Is there anything ELSE the department, including its subsidiaries, can get out from the teachers? The answer is YES. Instead of depending on data given to the department (or use consultants to go out to each province to collect data),  NDoE could use this opportunity to gather vital data.

By doing this, NDoE can use this data to avoid discrepancies by comparing them against the data from schools. This idea could also save time, effort, resource and money. 

Why not collect much needed data whilst representatives from every secondary and national high school in the country is in Port Moresby? This is a good time to confirm the number of students given to NDoE. It is the right time to find out if 21 430 Grade 12 students are actually doing the exams.

I showed irregularities in data presented by the education secretary where shocking discrepancies were highlighted when education officials accept data from schools. They should have their own research done - collated and confirmed - before advising government on development agendas in education.

5 data NDoE can CONFIRM from teachers at marking venue:

1) Total number students in each school
2) Total number of teachers in each school
3) Total Number of Students Intake from primary schools doing Grade 9 in 2015
4) Total Number of Grade 12 students passing out
5) Number of students sitting for each subject

Education consultants,  NDoE and MSU can collect a whole lot of other data it needs when teachers and principals are in Port Moresby. Give to the government what the it can use to better plan for the future.


http://www.unesco.org/education

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PNG NDoE will work on a new 10-year plan, the National Education Plan 2015 - 2024. This will be the topic of my next post.

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