Africa-Press – Zambia. The Professional Teacher Union of Zambia (PROTUZ) has expressed its support for the re-introduction of cut-off points at Grade 7, a move aimed at enhancing the quality of education in the country. Minister of Education, Douglas Siakalima, recently announced that out of the 454,396 candidates who sat for the Grade 7 examinations, 137,522 obtained division five and are deemed ineligible for Grade 8.
PROTUZ, which had previously advocated for the removal of automatic progression, now sees the re-introduction of the cut-off point as a crucial step toward ensuring that only deserving and credible learners progress to Grade 8.
Brian Mwila, the Director of Communications for PROTUZ, emphasized the importance of the cut-off point, stating that it will enable learners to secure places at STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) schools based on merit. This change signifies a departure from the past practice of automatic progression.
“The re-introduction of the cut-off point at Grade 7 is critical to ensuring that only rightful and credible learners progress to Grade 8,” Mr. Mwila affirmed during an interview with Radio Icengelo News.
Regarding Grade 9 results, a total of 291,894 candidates took the exams, with 156,315 obtaining certificates. This represents a slight decrease in certificate pass rates from 54.1 percent in 2022 to 53.55 percent in 2023.
Mr. Mwila took the opportunity to commend the hardworking teachers for consistently delivering positive results for the benefit of Zambia’s education system.
As the education landscape evolves, the endorsement from PROTUZ signals a broader commitment to enhancing the overall quality of education in Zambia by implementing measures that ensure merit-based progress for students.
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