The learning curve: Can standardised testing improve Sindh’s standard of education?

In collaboration with Sukkur IBA, education dept holds fourth round of SATs in province

KARACHI: To test the skills of students studying in Sindh's government schools, the education department's Reform Support Unit (RSU) has commissioned a large-scale study to assess students' achievement in classes five and eight.

For this purpose, a Standardised Achievement Test (SAT) has been developed to test students' performance in three subjects — languages (Sindhi, Urdu and English), mathematics and science.

The SAT is being conducted for the past three years and its fourth installment was held on February 8 in Sukkur and Larkana division. SAT-IV in Karachi that began on March 2 will continue till March 12. In 2012, the RSU announced the SAT project in Sindh to evaluate the performance of students studying in classes five and eight in public sector schools. The project is run by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Sukkur.



The aim of the project is to evaluate how the students are being impacted by the education department's progress and how much the students are gaining, explained RSU's chief programme manager Faisal Ahmed Uqaili.

By knowing the level of a student's achievement and linking educational reforms to output and educational administration, we can involve civil society and government to improve the status of education in the province, said Uqaili. “It will help us gain a better understanding of the standard of education our students have when they complete primary schooling.” Once the test dates are announced, sample test papers and booklets are distributed to schools so teachers can prepare students for the test. A team from IBA Sukkur provides training to town coordinators and test invigilators on how to conduct the test and how they should prepare the students.

"The training is followed by sample tests, which are held in six districts of the province a month before the actual test," explained Uqaili, adding that the sample tests for SAT-IV were held in January, while actual testing started from February 8.

A sample test was conducted in six districts — Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Tharparkar and Kashmore. "The SAT results are showing a downward trend and the department felt the need to form a SAT task force," said the RSU chief. Thematic working groups have also been constituted to work on four areas, which are curriculum, teacher education, learning material development and resource allocation, he explained. The main purpose of the task force is to identify gaps and recommend concrete steps to control the situation, Uqaili added.

The test schedules are different in every district and RSU announces the dates for the test district wise. "The SAT is of three hours, with three sections for languages, mathematics and science," Uqaili explained. The final report of SAT-III stated that the average result was 25.09 per cent and that only 55.40 per cent students appeared in the compulsory exam, which was held in 5,403 test centres.      

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2016.