Zimbabwe needs 25 000 more teachers, more than half for infant level

Continuous Assessment of the Competence Based Curriculum – One of the transformative initiatives under the competence based curriculum is the recognition of continuous assessment as a component of the final public examination results at Grade 7, 0 and A level.  Continuous assessment is something that teachers have always done as part of teaching and learning.  What has changed is the system of standardising and moderating the activities assigned to individual learners and the assessment thereof for recognition under the combined formative and summative final learning outcomes at G7, 0 and A levels.

The curriculum framework takes a holistic approach to assessment.  This approach entails assessing learner competences on a continuum that includes knowledge, skills, abilities, values and traits.  The assessment learning activity (CALA), as enshrined in the competence based curriculum, requires all learners to perform, demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and proficiency.

Learners living with disabilities are not an exception.  They are also expected to demonstrate the above attributes like any other learners.  The CALA component takes into account learners living with disabilities since they are best assisted in various ways depending on the severity of their disability. For example:

• Some learners are assisted by amanuensis to write their CALA.
• A multi-disciplinary approach is employed. Therapists assist learners by designing gadgets like head pointers to help them work on their CALAs independently.

I so present and at the same time, I had brought in a breakdown of  the summary of teacher staffing levels by province to make sure that everybody knows the numbers of teachers at infant level, junior and at secondary level for all the provinces in Bulawayo.

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