Alignment: Malawi National Exams & Curriculum Andrea Sterzuk Curriculum Development & Evaluation in Technical & Vocational Education September 30, 2013

National Exams in Malawi  “In 1969, the Malawi parliament enacted a law that created the Malawi Certificate Examination Board (MCE Board). This Board was charged with the responsibility of developing and administering the Malawi Certificate of Education (MCE) examination in conjunction with the Associated Examining Board (AEB) of the UK. The first such examination was administered in 1972.”  “Seven years later, the MCE Board became the Malawi Certificate Examinations and Testing Board (MCE and TB). The MCE and TB continued to administer the MCE examinations with the AEB until 1989 when the handover was completed.” (Chakwera, Khembo, & Sireci, 2004, p. 1)

National Exams in Malawi  “Following an evaluation of examinations in Malawi in 1984, it was decided that all public examinations should be developed and administered by one central authority. Consequently, in 1987, parliament approved legislation merging the examinations section of the Ministry of Education with the MCE and TB, thus forming the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB), which currently operates the major educational testing programs in Malawi.  “In addition, MANEB took over the responsibility of developing and administering Teacher Certificate Examinations and Craft Examinations for technical schools” (Chakwera, Khembo, & Sireci, 2004, p. 2).”

National Exams in Malawi - Trades  UNESCO indicates that there are currently three parallel qualifications frameworks in TEVET in Malawi: The National Trade Test, administered by the Ministry of Labour; The Malawi Crafts Certificate, administered by the Ministry of Education; The Competence Based Education and Training (CBET), introduced and managed by TEVETA.  Question: What do you know of these qualification frameworks? How closely do these tests align with the curriculum of your schools?

National Exams in Malawi  PSLCE: Most children start formal education at primary school at the age of six.  Primary school takes 8 years from Standard 1 to 8 at the end of which pupils write the Primary School Leaving Certificate examinations.  Students must pass this exam if they are to attend secondary school education in a government secondary school.

National Exams in Malawi  JCE & MSCE: Secondary school education takes 4 years from Form 1 to Form 4.  Students in secondary schools sit two examinations, a Junior Certicate Examination (JCE) at Form 2 and a Malawi School Certificate Examination (MSCE) at Form 4.  MSCE examination results are used for certification (i.e., certifying successful completion of secondary education) and selection into the university and other tertiary institutions.

National Exams & English  In all three national exams, “English is the passing subject. Not only are students expected to pass a certain number of school subjects, but English must be one of the subjects passed to qualify for a certificate and advance to the next level of education.”  “That is, if a student excels in all other subjects but fails his English paper, she or he is considered to have failed and cannot get a certificate, let alone advance to the next level of education” (Matiki, 2001, p. 206).

Curricular Validity & Test Washback  Chakwera, Khembo, and Sireci (2004) explain that “the examinations in Malawi are so important that they have assumed a “gate-keeping” role in the system. Because of this importance, the examinations exert considerable influence on what goes on in schools ” (p. 9).  How does this happen?

Curricular Validity & Test Washback  Washback refers to the influence of testing on teaching and learning.  In a sense, the high-stakes test takes the place of curriculum.  The test determines the activities that occur in the classroom, not the official curriculum.

Curricular Validity & Test Washback  Chakwera, Khembo, and Sireci (2004) explain that “with so much emphasis on passing examinations it is not surprising that the instruction has become examination oriented. Thus, curricular validity of Malawian exams is a contentious issue” (p. 9)

Question  What do the authors mean by the ”curricular validity of Malawian exams?”  As a learner, were you aware of any washback effect of these exams on your own learning? Do you remember your teachers speaking of the exams? Do you remember how taking the exam felt?  As a teacher, do these exams influence teaching and learning in your classroom or school in any way?

Curricular Validity & Test Washback  Chakwera, Khembo, and Sireci (2004) explain that “MANEB is aware of the demands of the curriculum, but is unable to meet them because of inadequate resources. In some subjects the number of examination papers was reduced and practical-work in some subjects was scaled down to cut down costs. For example, assessment by project method had to be discontinued.  “This resulted in a mismatch between the examinations and course objectives because only selected parts of the curriculum are assessed, and therefore taught” (p.9).

Curricular Validity & Test Washback  Chakwera, Khembo, and Sireci (2004) indicate that “when projects were removed from assessment to cut down costs on project inspection and scoring, the schools no longer felt the need to teach by project method, even though it remained an important part of the national curriculum” (p. 9).

 Chakwera, Khembo, and Sireci (2004) warn that “if teachers are to cover the whole curriculum, then examinations must cover the curriculum” (p. 9).  By not covering some parts of the curriculum, the examinations limit the scope of instruction” (p. 9).

Question 1.If Malawi moves in the direction of vocationalizing primary education, what kinds of implications might this have for the the Primary School Leaving Certificate examinations? 2.Given what you know about curriculum alignment & the potential impact of high-stake exams on classroom instruction, what kind of relationship is necessary between the Ministry of Education curriculum developers and the Malawi National Examinations Board?