Latest news with #InternationalAssociationfortheEvaluationofEducationalAchievement
Daily Tribune
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Tribune
Ministry of Education honours NMS for TIMSS 2023 excellence
The Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma Honored New Millennium School by facilitating the school principal and science and mathematics educators for the outstanding performance of the students in TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2023. The school has been placed in the high category for Science and Mathematics. Even where there is a drop in International Average in 2023 TIMSS as compared to 2019 TIMSS, the NMS average has remarkably shown an upward trend. The school average in the TIMSS is much higher than the International Average. The results reflect the school's strong commitment to academic excellence, innovative teaching methods, and a robust STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum. TIMSS, conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), is administered every four years and assesses trends in student performance across more than 60 countries. The assessment provides valuable data that helps schools and policymakers improve educational outcomes. The school management expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for giving an opportunity to be the part of TIMSS Exam and for facilitating the mentors by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma. Congratulating the students and staff, Principal, Dr Arun Kuumar Sharma said that the remarkable achievement is a testament to the hard work of the students, the expertise and commitment of the dedicated teachers, and the support of the school community. He further added that the school is proud to see its students not only meeting but exceeding international benchmarks in Math and Science. School Chairman Dr. Ravi Pillai and Managing Director, Geetha Pillai congratulated the students and their mentors for their commendable performance.
Bahrain This Week
3 days ago
- Science
- Bahrain This Week
Ministry Of Education Honours NMS For Outstanding Performance In TIMSS 2023
The Honorable Minister of Education, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma honored New Millennium School by facilitating the school principal and science and mathematics educators for the outstanding performance of the students in TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2023. The school has been placed in the high category for Science and Mathematics. Even where there is a drop in International Average in 2023 TIMSS as compared to 2019 TIMSS, the NMS average has remarkably shown an upward trend. The school average in the TIMSS is much higher than the International Average. The results reflect the school's strong commitment to academic excellence, innovative teaching methods, and a robust STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum. TIMSS, conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), is administered every four years and assesses trends in student performance across more than 60 countries. The assessment provides valuable data that helps schools and policymakers improve educational outcomes. The school management expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for giving an opportunity to be the part of TIMSS Exam and for facilitating the mentors by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma. Congratulating the students and staff, Principal, Dr Arun Kuumar Sharma said that the remarkable achievement is a testament to the hard work of the students, the expertise and commitment of the dedicated teachers, and the support of the school community. He further added that the school is proud to see its students not only meeting but exceeding international benchmarks in Math and Science. School Chairman Dr. Ravi Pillai and Managing Director, Ms. Geetha Pillai congratulated the students and their mentors for their commendable performance.
Daily Maverick
6 days ago
- Science
- Daily Maverick
SA children say they really like to read, despite dismal reading test results
A deep dive into the data behind the poor scores of South Africa's primary school learns in reading assessments – Part 2 Grade 3 is an interesting time to test children for reading ability in South Africa. Children are taught in one of the 11 official languages (ostensibly their home language) in their first years of school, known as the foundation phase, from Grade R to Grade 3. From Grade 4, the 'language of learning and teaching', or language of instruction, becomes predominantly English or Afrikaans, although there are moves to change this and extend home-language instruction. Research shows that there are benefits in teaching young children foundational reading skills in their home language, even if the results of the latest surveys don't appear to hold that up. In the past five years, two surveys have found that our Grade 3s and Grade 4s can't read for meaning. The first, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement's (IEA's) 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) tested Grade 4s and involved children in 57 countries. The second, a local survey called the South African Systemic Evaluation (SASE), involved 56,650 learners from 1,688 schools. It looked at the reading and mathematics abilities of Grade 3, 6 and 9 learners across the country. The Department of Basic Education released the results of the SASE only in December 2024. In both surveys, the children who were tested in Afrikaans and English scored higher than the children who wrote the test in the other nine languages. In Pirls, English and Afrikaans were the only two languages where the average scores were relatively close to 400, the minimum required to show an ability to read for meaning in easy texts. In the SASE, the reading skills and knowledge learners are expected to be proficient at are divided into four performance levels. The first level, named 'emerging', is where learners are just beginning to develop the skills required for grade 3-level reading. The next level up, known as 'evolving', is where learners are beginning to construct and adapt what they have learnt. The third level, called 'enhancing', is where learners demonstrate that they actually have the required skills, are able to apply those skills and show they are moving towards independent learning. At the highest, 'extending' level, learners show an advanced understanding of the knowledge and skills required, apply their knowledge in creative ways and can learn independently. Learners need to have 'enhancing'-level skills to meet the requirements of Grade 3. Only one in five of the Grade 3s who took part achieved that level. Mother tongue Seventy-five percent of the Grade 3s in South Africa's public schools are taught in their home language, according to the Department of Basic Education. Professor Abdeljalil Akkari, an expert in education at the University of Geneva, argues that 'pre-primary is the educational sector which has the greatest need to be based on local pedagogy, traditions and cultures'. South Africa was one of the few countries that ran the Pirls test in multiple languages. While in theory, students testing in their home language rather than only English should equalise the assessment playing field, results showed that this was not in fact the case. Researchers have pointed out some testing issues with Pirls, such as how translating a European test into African languages may create more issues than it solves. An example given by researchers at the University of Pretoria is how the isiZulu version of the Pirls test needed to use foreign words in translations such as 'i-Hammerhead shark'. They show that due to translations, the isiZulu and English texts used in Pirls aren't equivalent, resulting in a harder test for the isiZulu schools compared with the English schools. Language of instruction If you look in more detail at the data on the language of instruction at schools, about a third of South Africa's Grade 3s are actually taught in English, even though English is the home language of fewer than 10% of them. Not surprisingly, 98% of the Grade 3s whose home language is English are taught in English at school; 92% of Afrikaans-speaking children are taught in Afrikaans. The picture is different for African language speakers. Children whose home language is isiNdebele are the least likely to be taught in their home language at 50%, according to DBE data. Sesotho speakers fare marginally better at 52%. More than 70% of the children who speak isiXhosa, Siswati, Setswana, Sepedi and Tshivenda were taught in their home language, as were two-thirds of children who speak Xitsonga and isiZulu. Provincial differences Provincial reading scores from the SASE showed that in the Western Cape, close to half the Grade 3s could read up to the required standard. In Gauteng, that dropped to 28% and in all the other provinces, fewer than 20% of the learners had Grade 3-level reading skills. Six languages are of particular concern because more than 40% of Grade 3 learners managed to achieve only the most basic performance level in their reading skills in the reading assessments. They are Sepedi, Setswana, Sesotho, isiNdebele, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Those languages are predominantly spoken in the four provinces that scored the lowest in the SASE reading assessment: the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo, according to Nwabisa Makaluza, a researcher at Stellenbosch University, who contributed an advisory note for the Reading Panel 2025 Background Report. In these provinces, a high percentage of Grade 3 learners are taught in their home language. For example, 87% in the Northern Cape, 72% in Mpumalanga, 79% in North West and 92% in Limpopo. In comparison, in Gauteng, only two in every five learners (43%) are taught in their home language. Gauteng is the most linguistically diverse province. No home language is truly dominant. The most commonly spoken language is isiZulu, but only one in four Grade 3s speak isiZulu at home. More than 20,000 Grade 3 learners speak Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi and English at home, more than 10,000 speak Xitsonga, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. This diversity makes teaching in all the home languages a complicated affair, requiring teachers trained to teach foundation phase learners in multiple languages. Despite its linguistic diversity, and the relatively low proportion of learners taught in their home language, Gauteng's Grade 3 learners did better in SASE reading tests than all but those in the Western Cape. The standard of education, quality of teaching and availability of resources in the public schools may also play a part in the poor reading assessment results of children. Not enough African language teachers South Africa's universities are not producing enough teachers to meet the demand for foundation phase teachers who can teach in African languages, according to a Department of Basic Education report by education economist Martin Gustafsson. The most recently available data, which was for 2018, shows the languages with the biggest undersupply of teachers are Sepedi, isiXhosa and Setswana. Only three languages are producing enough teachers for the foundation phase: Tshivenda, Siswati and isiNdebele. 'Some African languages are producing as little as 20% of the required number of language of learning and teaching-specific teachers,' according to the report. The language in which children are taught to read is just one factor. There are historical factors, such as the channelling of resources during apartheid to white schools where English and Afrikaans were the languages of instruction. Thirty years later, many of those schools remain better resourced. Access to learning material 'Children learn better and are more likely to pursue their subsequent studies when they have begun their schooling in a language that they use and understand,' says Professor Abdeljalil Akkari. South Africa's education policy states that the language of learning and teaching must be the learner's 'home language', but it is the school that chooses which language is to be regarded as the home language for their learners, so in many cases the official home language is not actually their mother tongue, says Sinethemba Mthimkhulu and other Pretoria University researchers. In addition, educational resources are primarily designed for English-speaking learners. The actual language profile of the country is not at all reflected in textbook publications. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries have incorporated digital learning into their schooling. The 2024 SA Book Publishing Survey shows that 1,130 new digital textbooks were published in English, more than 600 in Afrikaans and fewer than 300 were published in all the other South African languages combined. More worrying is the lack of new print textbooks being published in Sepedi, Setswana, SiSwati, Sesotho, isiNdebele, Xitsonga and Tshivenda. It's not only textbooks, other reading materials also show an English and Afrikaans dominance in a country where two in five people speak isiZulu and isiXhosa. The National Reading Baromete r, through the National Reading Survey, found that access to books in home languages is still a huge problem in South Africa. The survey found that 72% of parents who read with their young children would prefer to read in an African language. It also found that schools are the most important source of reading materials in South African households. In many cases (40%), the books that adults read with their children at home are school textbooks and 33% are fiction books. Looking at all books in general, fewer than 10% of book sales are for African language books, according to data from the latest South African Book Publishing Industry Survey. In the period from 2021-2024, fewer than 1% of book sales in South Africa were isiNdebele or siSwati books, and Sepedi and Sesotho publications each accounted for only 1%. isiZulu publications account for just 3% of these book sales and, although English is the home language of fewer than 10% of the population, English books made up 80% of the total book revenue, the book publishing industry survey shows. Two out of three households (63%) do not have any fiction or nonfiction books at all (this excludes bibles, magazines, textbooks etc). Most speakers of Xitsonga, isiNdebele and Tshivenda don't have a single book in their language at home, and more than 40% of Setswana and Sesotho speakers don't have any books in theirs, according to the 2023 National Reading Survey findings. Let the children read Despite the immense problems with reading, inequality and lack of resources, these reading surveys also reveal a shining light of hope, which is that South Africa's children actually like reading. Along with the Pirls reading test were various surveys, for the parents, school teachers and principals, as well as the children themselves. In the children's questionnaire, one of the questions asked whether they enjoyed reading. More than 70% of South Africa's children enthusiastically said they enjoyed reading, the 11th highest percentage of the 57 countries participating in the survey. In an 'enjoyment of reading' index, which encompassed a range of questions, Pirls found that 90% of the South African children like reading to some extent, and 50% of those like reading 'very much'. DM
Business Recorder
22-05-2025
- General
- Business Recorder
Development impact bonds: a possible solution to curb learning poverty in Pakistan
'One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.' Malala Yousafzai Education is a transformative force that empowers individuals, reduces social inequalities, combats poverty, and contributes to a more sustainable development. Given the significance of education for a nation, URAAN Pakistan has taken various initiatives to improve the educational indicators like education spending, net primary enrolment, completion rate, equitable accessibility to higher education and to improve literacy rate by 10 percent. URAAN Pakistan structured around the '5Es' framework is the foundation of the National Economic Transformation Plan (2024–2029). To make a brighter future for education in Pakistan possible, an evidence-based decision and policymaking is indispensable. Databases like District Education Performance Index (DEPIx, 2023) and the Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (LANA 2023) can serve the purpose. Data reveal that the challenge in Pakistan is not merely about getting children into schools, but ensuring students acquire meaningful and impactful learning in the classroom. The policy implementation heavily relies on input and activities rather than actual learning outcomes. The recent figures indicate that over 25.3 million children remain out-of-school, and 79 percent of students falls under learning poverty; a student unable to read and understand a basic sentence by the age of 10. The findings of the DEPIx report, developed by the Planning Commission, show a national average score of just 53.46, which places the country in the 'Low' performance category, across five domains in 134 districts. In parallel, the recent report of LANA conducted under the supervision of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), shows that Pakistan's average reading scores range between 318 and 343, with only 55 percent of students reaching the 'Basic International Benchmark' in reading. While, in mathematics, the average scores fall between 368 and 39, which is below the minimum international benchmark of 400. Only 1 percent of students achieve the high benchmark (550), while 71 percent scored only at the basic level (325). This indicates that more than half of the students fall below the 25th percentile, reflecting the urgency of addressing learning poverty. These findings in the education sector imply that achieving a desired learning outcomes is still a distant dream. In this context, there is an urgent need to shift from input focused policies and planning to an outcome driven approach. In this regard, one promising solution is the adoption of Development Impact Bonds (DIBs), a results-based financing mechanism that links funding to measurable outcomes rather than to inputs or activities. In a DIB model, private investors provide upfront capital to implement educational interventions, and governments or donors repay the investment only when an independent evaluator approves that the predefined learning outcomes have been achieved. This model has shown positive results in countries like India with the Educate Girls DIB, in the UK with the Education Outcomes Fund, and in the US with the 'Abt Associates' early childhood education, all improving educational outcomes than the traditional interventions. This model not only ensures accountability but also encourages innovation and efficiency in service delivery. Pakistan is well-positioned to pilot Impact Bonds in the education sector. Datasets sources such as DEPIx and LANA provide baseline data to set performance targets and evaluate progress. The districts performing poorly in learning outcomes, especially those in Sindh, Balochistan, and southern Punjab can be targeted for pilot interventions. Donor agencies such as the World Bank, USAID, and the Asian Development Bank, already engaged in Pakistan's education reform, can act as outcome funders, while NGOs and ed-tech providers may serve as implementing partners, working together to improve quality in education. In this regard, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, provincial departments, and planning bodies can realign their priorities to reflect the reality that learning is the most important goal of schooling. Moreover, education policy evaluation, which has historically been rare in Pakistan, should become a regular part of planning and budgeting cycles. In a nutshell, Pakistan's education emergency is not a crisis of ability but a crisis of governance, policy, and accountability. The findings from DEPIx and LANA are not only a wake-up call but also serve as a foundation for building a roadmap for educational improvement. They show us that while infrastructure and access have seen modest gains, but the real bottlenecks lie in the learning outcomes. Addressing these challenges requires more than progressive reforms. It demands a paradigm shift in how education is financed, delivered, and measured. Impact Bonds offer a potential solution, emphasizing accountability, data-driven decision-making, and a focus on tangible results. In a nation with millions of children lacking quality education, such innovation is not merely a choice—it is a necessity. (Muhammad Yasir Khan is an MPhil student, and Dr Anjeela Khurram is a lecturer at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)) Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Scoop
09-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Kiwi Kids Once Led The World In Reading – This 1950s Primary School Syllabus Still Has Lessons For Today
Article – The Conversation There is a well-known whakatauki (Māori proverb) that goes: 'Ka mua, ka muri' – 'walking backwards into the future'. It applies to many areas of life, but in education the idea of looking to the past to inform our way forward seems more relevant than ever. New Zealand was once a world leader in reading. In the early 1970s, as leading literacy educationalist Warwick Elley reminds us, Kiwi teenagers performed best of all countries participating in the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. New Zealand students remained good readers throughout the 1990s, earning the top results for reading out of 32 participating countries in the first Programme for International Student Assessment survey in 2000. Overall, New Zealand children are still above average. But while many children learn to read successfully, significant numbers do not. And concern about reading capability has led to a recent curriculum overhaul. The reforms focus on raising reading standards and regular testing. But the lessons of the past suggest we performed better with less focus on raising test scores. In fact, it was a more flexible, balanced approach to English education that provided a strong foundation for literacy. Some clues to why this was possible can be found in the 1953 Primary School Reading Syllabus from the old Department of Education. It was among the first of many research-based reading initiatives in the mid-20th century, along with Ready to Read books in the 1960s, and the Reading Recovery program developed by Marie Clay in the 1970s. Given New Zealand was a conservative postwar society that was yet to grapple meaningfully with colonial history and Treaty rights, the document is surprisingly less rigid than one might expect. In fact, it is largely compatible with contemporary ideas about teaching and learning. In some areas, the 1953 syllabus seems more progressive than the current curriculum, with clear views on inclusiveness and designing teaching to meet individual needs. Ironically, many of today's parents and grandparents – some of whom support a 'back to basics' school system – were educated using this flexible and purpose-driven approach. New Zealand in 1953 According to the New Zealand Official Yearbook for 1953, the country was enjoying postwar prosperity with 72% of its exports going to other Commonwealth countries. England was still the 'mother country' and the young Queen Elizabeth's post-coronation visit – also in 1953 – fuelled intense royal fervour. Edmund Hillary conquered Everest, and a highly publicised air race from London to Christchurch helped popularise plane travel. Society was far more egalitarian. In a population of just over two million, only 15 people received an unemployment benefit (there were a variety of other welfare payments such as war pensions). At the same time, New Zealand did not view itself as bicultural in the way it does today. For many Pākehā, Māori culture was little more than a curiosity or a tourist attraction. School was already compulsory from ages seven to 15, and roughly 17% of the population were enrolled in primary schools. These were the children taught to read according to the 1953 syllabus. A brief A5-sized booklet of just 13 pages, it recognises reading as a central component of a rich and full life – and that it can be used for 'useful, harmless or nefarious' purposes. Competing with other temptations such as 'the exploits of Superman and Mighty Mouse', as well as cinema and radio, is one of its concerns. But its main aim is to 'teach the child to read […] in ways that will encourage him (sic) to use his skill freely and naturally'. Avoiding a standardised approach The syllabus outlines ideal components of a classroom reading programme: reading to self (silently) and peers (aloud), listening to story and verse, participating in dramatisation, word study and study skills. Word study should include learning about phonics. But the syllabus tempers this with the advice that 'there can be no doubt that too early a preoccupation with phonics may serve to kill interest in reading'. This might have been written today by those concerned that structured approaches to literacy will crowd out other important parts of early reading education. The 1953 syllabus says reading material should encompass fiction (including local authors), non-fiction, plays and poetry. While competent reading by all is the goal, the syllabus also states: 'A uniform standard of achievement […] is a mistaken aim.' This recognition of variable individual capability is something critics say is missing from today's curriculum. Expectations are set for each year at school, with teachers strongly encouraged to teach to the year level. The fear is that some students will fall behind as their class moves on, while progress for others will be restricted if they are ahead of those expectations. The 1953 syllabus cautions that the 'results of standardised tests should be weighed against the teacher's own observation […] and modified accordingly'. Encouraging teacher autonomy By comparison, the new English curriculum is long at 108 pages, complex and prescriptive. It includes a range of aims clustered under the headings 'Understand', 'Know' and 'Do'. The first encompasses five big ideas learners are expected to develop during their schooling. The second covers the knowledge required in English to become literate. The third outlines the practical steps learners will take in the different phases of their schooling. To be fair, the new curriculum aims to make all children feel good about reading. It encourages using different kinds of texts, focuses on assessment activities that build on one another, and supports teachers to adapt for student differences. And, given its contemporary context, there is an awareness of the important role of culture and the unique place of Māori in New Zealand that is entirely missing in the 1953 document. But the new curriculum also contains directives the 1953 syllabus warned teachers against – namely a preoccupation with teaching phonics, and teaching linked to prescriptive progress measurement and outcomes. Although brief, the 1953 document is arguably broader in scope and requires teachers to have greater skills. A strength of the old syllabus is that it encouraged teacher professionalism, autonomy and judgement in deciding the best next steps for each learner. Overall, the 2025 curriculum seems the more constrictive document. The 1953 syllabus presents a view of reading that prioritises the human experience – reading as an aesthetic experience as well as a practical skill.
