REFRESHER COURSES FOR CALA

Talent Gore

PRIMARY and Secondary Education Minister, Torerayi Moyo, has supported the Continuous Assessment of Learning Activities (CALA) in schools.

However, he has acknowledged that it needs some changes to avoid excluding students from poor families.

Min Moyo said teachers should receive training on how to manage the assessment and said there is nothing wrong with CALA and that it only needed to be managed better.

Teachers are currently undergoing a CALA refresher course.

Parents and guardians have been pushing the Government to scrap CALA from the school curriculum, saying it was expensive.

CALA refers to various learning activities or assessments that require students to conduct detailed research-based activities in specific areas where they incorporate practical activities, such as data collection through interviews, questionnaires, checklists, observations and experiments.

“There is nothing wrong with CALA, but the manner in which it is handled is a problem. Our teachers must go for in-service training so that they manage projects that students are doing.

“We need to consider whether the students have resources at their disposal because CALA involves a lot of research.

“Do they have laptops, iPads, or smartphones for them to be able to conduct CALA? I think the general sentiment from parents is that they want CALA to be reduced.

“So, we are going to look at the recommendations that were done by stakeholders then we come up with a position,” said Min Moyo.