The confirmed 100% failure of the entire complement of grade nine 9 pupils at Mumena Secondary school of Kalumbila District of North Western Province has exposed the inequalities that rural learners face compared to their urban counterparts.
The saying that education is a great equalizer is more easier said than done. Mumena Secondary school is a rural school in Kalumbila District of North Western Province, located about 30 km away from Solwezi town. Imagine schools that are 100 or even 200 kilometers from the provincial capitals.
The Examinations Council of Zambia – ECZ by this revelation should now be compelled to be making the entire country school examinations results statistics available than continue with the current masking were only the high level national and provincial averages and statistics of exam results are publicly available.
ECZ as a matter of national interest and equity should publish the examination results statistics that shows how rural schools have been performing relative to their urban schools, so that government policy can be informed as regards to resource allocation. How many rural schools recorded over 90%, 80% or even 70% failure rate?
To further investigate if such results were there is 100% failure rate are feasible, the Zambian Business Times – ZBT exclusively interviewed Author of Exams made Easy, Rozious Siatwambo who diclosed that it is difficult to understand that all the 38 candidates at the school who had sat for the 2021 grade 9 exams failed.
Dr. Siatwambo, who is also CEO of Great North road Academy, noted that where the matters of exams is concerned, it would be unfair to put a blame on the learners or the examiners adding that other pupils who had sat for the same exam in different schools performed better than the said school.
He added that it is a concerned school and it really need to look into its teachings. Meanwhile, the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) has described the 100% failure at mumena secondary school as an academic taboo.
NAQEZ Executive Director Aaron Chansa said the ugly reality at Mumena School, has raised fundamental academic, social and cultural questions about this school. Chansa further noted the need for honest scanning of the academic background of the said candidates, the absenteeism rate by both teachers and learners, the school environment, teacher motivation at the school, the attitude of the learners and the community towards school as well as the relationship between teachers and the school administration.
He has also urged the Ministry of education to further investigate the levels of parental support the school received, the commitment of teachers to work as well as availability of teaching and learning materials at the affected school.
