Cambridge schools conference: Are examinations a necessary evil?

CIE to initiate a pilot training programme for teachers of particular subjects.

LAHORE:

Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) will be initiating a pilot training programme for teachers of particular subjects by the coming year.

This was announced at a schools’ conference titled Building a Curriculum that Equips Learners for the Future organised by the CIE on Tuesday.

The teacher training programme is said to be the first of its kind initiated by the CIE.

British Council Pakistan Director Peter Upton expressed his concern regarding teacher development. He said “We are committed towards ensuring that the young have a chance to be evaluated accurately”.

CIE Chief Executive Michael O’Sullivan said there was a deep sense of crisis around education all over the world. “Despair doesn’t help us. There are excellent schools and educational institutions in Pakistan. We see a great commitment by the government towards education”. In terms of developing the assessments that were presently in place, Sullivan said there was a need to bridge old-school methodology of examinations with the growing needs of the 21^st century.

“Are our examinations really equipping students for emerging challenges?” asked The City School Director of Studies Dr Uzma Javed. She said many schools were moving towards inter-disciplinary models. “That is the real creativity and the real challenge”.

Beaconhouse Chief Executive Kasim Kasuri said that examinations should look for the application of concepts but that more creative ways were needed to assess children.

“Despite the ‘quality’ in schools, students feel that they need to go to tuition centres to brush up their skills with people they think have cracked the code or the system,’’ said Lahore Grammar School Director Samina Rahman.

Roots School Director Khadija Mushtaq stressed the need to address the growing tuition culture plaguing the education system. “Through this tuition mafia shortcuts are guaranteed to students, which has many adverse affects”.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2014.