Suggested solutions to the 2023 poor MSCE examination results in public schools
Opinion……
I take and consider education very seriously. The 2023 MSCE poor results has prompted me to dive deeper into the subject matter so that all stake holders may find something worth taking and implementing as we all take a role in building this great nation.
This article takes you through 2023 MSCE poor results but mainly focuses on possible solutions. This is an extended version of the article published already on the same subject area.
Students discipline
Discipline is important in the success of students. A disciplined routine encourages better academic performance. Having a routine set for learning and studying leads to better grades. Self-disciplined students know where they are going wrong. Instead of continuing the path, they get back on track and score better.
Students who know they are accountable for their actions both in and out of the classroom tend to get better scores on academic testing. Classroom discipline helps students stay on-task while with the teacher, limiting distractions and improving the flow of information.
There is a relationship between students discipline and academic performance. Because, by being well-disciplined a person can spend more time in studying. And by studying more the better grades will be achieved. Discipline can also mould’s student’s character because a positive attitude towards studies and in life is the inherent benefit derived from being disciplined.
School discipline is an important component of promoting academic progress in schools. By establishing clear rules and expectations, promoting a safe and conducive learning environment, and fostering a positive school culture, schools can improve student engagement and academic outcomes.
Teachers deployment
School discipline is an important component of promoting academic progress in schools. By establishing clear rules and expectations, promoting a safe and conducive learning environment, and fostering a positive school culture, schools can improve student engagement and academic outcomes.
An effective deployment strategy finds ways of allocating teachers to appropriate posts, balancing the needs of schools, and the well-being of teachers.
Collaboration among teachers has been acknowledged as an essential factor that can enhance student learning outcomes. As teachers work together to share their knowledge, experience, and resources, they can develop innovative teaching strategies that can lead to improved student engagement, achievement, and success.
The more actively engaged students are—with college faculty and staff, with other students, with the subject matter they are studying—the more likely they are to persist in their college studies and to achieve at higher levels.
Teachers motivation
Working environment for teachers in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) include, working conditions, resources provided to them, ethical behavior of administrators, number of students in each class and the fact how talented their students are. Graham (1985) also identified working environment as an important issue for motivating employees.
Higher-educational institutions include not only universities and colleges but also various professional schools that provide preparation in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art.
Teachers with high motivation are engaged, focused, connected to leaders and other teachers, and always striving to do more. On the other hand, teachers with low motivation often show a lack of interest, are disengaged, and tend to do the minimum.
Poor working conditions also affect teacher motivation. Limited education budgets may also lead to insufficient resources for school infrastructure or teaching materials.
One of the most efficient ways to motivate and inspire your teaching staff is to praise and honor them. Showing appreciation for their dedication and hard work makes them feel valued.
Motivating The Teachers – An Important Role of Principals
Praise their Work and Contribution. One of the simplest and most effective ways to motivate teachers is by praising them. Be Approachable. Put together a reward program. Stress Management. Encourage them to share ideas and opinions.
Motivating The Teachers – An Important Role of Employers
Offer Praise. Recognize teachers who go above and beyond expectations. Be available for the teaching staff. Create a compelling reward program for teachers. Listen to your teacher’s concerns. Uplift their ideas. Schedule fun events on the teacher’s calendar. Give your teachers the gift of time.
Lack of text books
Last night I spoke to my children who are now in standard 7 at Chilinde Primary School. When I asked for their text books from school, I was disappointed to be told the school doesn’t have any books to distribute to the children and that parents should buy from bookshops.
Honestly, I’m a tax payer but what’s the point of paying tax to government if my children cannot access text books from public schools? It doesn’t make any sense to me at all. This looks like clear daylight robbery.
Textbooks serve as a guide to the prescribed curriculum and syllabus. They ensure that topics covered are similar across different schools and states. It transmits knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to the teacher and student alike. It provides guidelines for teaching and learning.
Yet as this article suggests, in many public schools students at all levels either lack books altogether or are required to share them extensively with others. Without textbooks, children can spend many of their school hours copying content from the blackboard, which severely reduces time for engaged learning.
This is clearly one of the reasons why public schools will fail to produce good results . Government must provide textbooks in all public schools without giving excuse and without any due delay.
The Success Story of Catholic Schools in Malawi
An excellent catholic teacher contributes to a spirituality of communion. An excellent Catholic teacher, as illuminated by the Holy Trinity, lives a life of spiritual unity and harmony in relationship with others while honoring each person as distinct and unique.
The Catholic Church—through the Catholic Education Commission in Malawi (Cecom) which is an arm of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM)—oversees provision of education in 1 538 Catholic primary schools, 14 national Catholic secondary schools, 127 Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS), more than seven technical colleges, two teacher training colleges (TTC) and two universities.
Their 14 national secondary schools have been leaders in sending hundreds to the country’s public universities.
For instance, all the 68 that sat for Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations in 2014 at Marist Boys Secondary School in Dedza passed. The first got seven points and the last got 19 points.
Catholic secondary schools continue to dominate best results in Malawi. They also dominated the Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) scholarship awards to girls to study medicine in China. For five years, these events were held at Catholic girls’ secondary schools—they chose the best performing girls’ secondary school for that year as venue for the event.
At a time when the country’s education standards are increasingly dwindling, the story of the continued excellence of Catholic schools provides an opportunity for lesson sharing.
My question is: Is government ready to learn anything from Catholic schools? Government and public schools in particular must learn something from other service providers. We should be ready to always learn from each other.
We should never be satisfied with always comparing our own graph each year and avoid repeating the same mistakes every academic year. Surprisingly, public schools in Malawi expect to produce the best results one day to come from the very same mistakes they keep making. This is the main problem with poor mindset in government.
We have qualified teachers in public schools, policy makers and educational experts in government but they need to think creatively and develop new teaching strategies in the process of doing their job and adapt to new changes outside the text books they are always using.
Teaching and learning is an open experiment which requires close observation and learning all the time. A classroom is more or less like a laboratory.
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