ECZ GEARS UP FOR ASSESSMENTS UNDER THE NEW COMPETENCE BASED CURRICULUM AS RATES FOR ITEM WRITERS, SETTERS AND PROOF READERS ARE INCREASED
The Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) continues to ensure that assessments are aligned to international standards. Following the implementation of the new Competence Based Curriculum by the Ministry of Education, assessment and certification play a key role. Learners are assessed as a way of testing their acquired skills and competences for their new academic or life journey.
ECZ has convened a two- and three-days training for Setters and Item Writers at Primary and Ordinally level respectively in Kabwe as part of the preparatory work for assessing learners under the competency-based curriculum. The training is being attended by over 80 participants drawn from across the country in various subject areas. These participants are currently Setters and Items Writers under the old Outcome-Based Curriculum.
The goal of the training is to build capacity focused on addressing the needs of the competence based assessments as ECZ prepares to run the first examinations under the new curriculum in 2028.
Dr Arnold J. Brouwer, a renowned research expert from the Research Centre for Examination and Certification in the Netherlands is facilitating the training.
Officially opening the training, ECZ Executive Director, Dr Michael Chilala has encouraged participants on the requirements to ensure assessments build a learner who is able to learn, adapt and innovate and be relevant to society they live in.
He also said that a lot of countries are moving towards competence based assessments, giving an example of Uganda and the Netherlands as countries that have already implemented this education system for which Zambia cannot afford to remain behind.
“You were carefully selected in order to facilitate transfer of the skills from this training to others” Dr Chilala said. This knowledge should go to benefit others involved in assessment such as teachers.
He also said “let this information begin to permeate in to all corners of the education system so that we can enhance our implementation of the new curriculum”.
Dr Chilala also shared good news on the ECZ’s resolve to continue bettering the conditions of service for the Setters, Item Writers and Proof Readers. He announced the new rates for item writing, setting and proof reading which were last reviewed in 2012 and implemented in 2013. The rates have been increased by more than 39 percent for all the levels and in some instances by over 100 percent.
One of the participants who is a seasoned setter has commended the ECZ for this milestone adjustment in the setting and item writing rates indicating that more will be motivated to join to undertake such work that will contribute to efficiency in assessments.
Meanwhile, Dr Arnold has challenged participants on the need to understand the 12 general competences in a competency-based curriculum summarized in four categories: Cognitive Skills, Technical Skill, Social Skills and Metacognitive Skills.
The need for learners to build digital, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Other skill areas are analytical thinking, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and problem solving just to mention but a few.
So far, participants have been trained on how to develop competence based multiple choice test items. In the remaining days of the training which is going on up to Friday, 14th March 2025, the trainer will also zero in on smart learning and development of open-ended test items making sure that the real-life challenges faced by society are mirrored in the assessments in order to build learners to such realities.
The skills will contribute towards content mapping among other assessment requirements.
ECZ remains committed to its mandate and to providing assessments of comparable international standards.
By Public Relations Unit
EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA