Chronicle Editor
TADIWANASHE Mavetera scored 20 As in his final O-level examinations in 2020. It is possible that that is a record performance by any kid in our country at that level.
Speaking weeks after he got his O-level results, he said he aspired to study Nuclear and Quantum Physics at Massachusetts University of Technology in the US.
He already knew at that time that he would study 10 subjects at A-level. He did and aced all of them to attain a staggering 50 points. That is probably yet another record performance by any kid in our country at that level.
In March last year, he secured a place at the American university to study what he always wanted.
Many other kids in our country are sitting almost as many subjects at public examinations.
But is all that really necessary? We think it is not.
The Government has made its point clear on this as well saying the maximum subjects that can be taken at O-level is eight, not 20, and the most that one can sit at A-level is four, not 10.
“This is a subsequent curriculum that buttresses the previous competence-based curriculum, Director of Communication and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Taungana Ndoro told our sister paper, Sunday News.
“Now we have the heritage-based curriculum and we have put in place modalities for the operationalisation of this curriculum. One of the key highlights is the issue of five compulsory learning areas and also the capping of subjects that learners can write. Learners should write a maximum of eight subjects at O-level and a maximum of four A-level subjects, nothing more than four. We do not want an education system where learners write 15 subjects at O-level and 10 at A-level. It becomes unnecessary and meaningless.”
This decision is likely to be welcomed by most parents and guardians, even school kids. We say this because there are some schools that were taking advantage of the absence of a policy to actually force pupils in their best classes to write up to 14 subjects at O-level and not less than 11 for their weaker classes; and at least four at A-level.
Forcing kids to write so many subjects was too costly monetarily was their time and was superfluous. Instead of focusing on subjects they are strongest in, some children had to exert themselves in many others, resulting in them scoring poorer results than they would have done if they had chosen what they wanted.
What we were unhappy about was school authorities forcing kids to write too many subjects. It is good that the Government has intervened.
However, it is possible that there are some pupils and parents who might choose more than eight subjects at O-level and four at A-level. We don’t think that choice is punishable but, perhaps, such people can register and, if logistics on examination day allow, sit the additional subjects at other centres, not at their official schools.
Online Reporter