Some 1,900 Pupils to write National Standardized Test in Kadjebi District
Kadjebi (O/R), Dec. 15, GNA-Some 1,900 Primary Four Pupils from 67 Public Schools would be writing the National Standardized Test (NST) in 11 Examination Centres in the Kadjebi District on Friday.
The centres would be managed by 11 Supervisors, 4 Assistant Supervisors and 66 Invigilators.
Mr Christopher Agorkli, the District Examination Officer disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.
Mr Agorkli said Ghana’s recent Education Strategic Plan, 2018-2030 seeks to improve equitable access to and participation in inclusive quality education at all levels.
He said the Plan also sought to improve the quality of teaching and learning and STEM at all levels and also to promote sustainable and efficient management, financing and accountability of education service delivery.
The Examination Officer said, among the offshoots of the Plan is the introduction of the National Standardized Test (NST), which is to measure the learning outcomes of the educational reform at the basic level.
He explained that the data collected from the NST would inform policy review and formulation with respect to classroom teaching and learning.
Mr Agorkli said the test, which would be administered to learners in Primary Four (P4) at the basic level would find out the extent to which learners have covered the content of the teaching curricula approved by the Ministry of Education in Ghana.
The Examination Officer said the assessment would measure pupils’ performance in English and Mathematics and would seek to answer the question; “Are learners achieving a minimum competency or proficiency in English and Mathematics”? and “How are learners performing in English and Mathematics as a whole on a national basis”?.
He advised the testees to conduct themselves well during the examination.
Mr Seth Seyram Deh, the Kadjebi District Director of Education appealed to the pupils to avail themselves for the examination.
Mr Deh said the deficiencies identified during the assessment would inform policy planners and implementers how to address them.
He said the success or failure of the exercise depends on all, so everyone must get involved.
Mr Deh also advised the Supervisors and Invigilators not to encourage examination malpractice since it had the tendency to mar the essence of the assessment. Master Dzidula Hodzor, a P4 Pupil of Kadjebi D/A Primary School in an interview with GNA said, they were told that the examination was set by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) would assess and prepare them for class five.
Master Hodzor said they would be examined in English Language and Mathematics and that he would garner 80 per cent in English Language and 62 per cent in Mathematics.
Ms Tafic Labiba, another pupil of the School said she was well prepared for the examination and that she would secure 60 per cent in English and 54 per cent in Mathematics.
Mr Emmanuel Kafui Kofi Hodzor, the Headteacher of the School lauded the government for the policy because it would prepare the pupils towards external examinations.
Mr Hodzor said the situations where students got frightened during examinations would be a thing of the past since they were being examined right at the primary level. He said the assessment would also enable the pupils to know their capabilities and what academic programme to pursue in the future.
