Using Examinations to Improve Education: A Study in Fourteen African Countries

摘要

The Synthesis Report summarizes data and information from a set of studiesundertaken in: (1) Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia; (2) Chad, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Rwanda, and Togo, and (3) Cape Verde and Ethiopia. It outlines the findings, issues and recommended improvements from the fourteen individual studies undertaken on primary and secondary school examinations. Public examinations have three main functions: certification, selection and accountability. While most examinations serve all three to some extent, selection is undoubtedly the main function. The paramount importance of selection is reflected in the large numbers each year who are not promoted to the next highest level of the educational system. There is also a growing tendency to use a single examination for purposes of both selection and certification of level of attainment. To date not enough attention appears to have been focused on the educational consequences of existing examination systems. However, the likely impact of changing present systems needs to be studied carefully, given the experience with public examinations in non-African settings. It is clear that a public-examination system can exert a highly positive influence not only on the nature of assessment, but much more importantly on the nature of teaching and learning. While examinations cannot change the educational system, they can be made to reflect the objectives of curriculum developers and educational planners.