By CLAVER MUTINTA and GETRUDE MWANZA
GRADE nine school results for 2013 examinations have been released with 110,739 pupils being selected to grade 10, reflecting an improvement in performance.
Over 174,000 pupils have not been selected to grade 10, but the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational and Early Education has made arrangements for them to be absorbed by various trade institutes.
Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and early education John Phiri, who announced the results at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, said 353,443 pupils entered for the examinations but only 285,636 actually sat for the examinations.
Of those selected, 57,327 are boys and 53,412 are girls, giving a progression rate of 37 percent and reflecting a marginal improvement in performance as compared to 2012 results.
“Grade 10 classes will open on Monday, 27th January 2014 with a grace period of up to Monday the 10th February 2014. Members of the public must obtain the official statements of results where learners wrote their examinations from,” Dr Phiri said.
He said 67,807 pupils who entered to sit for examinations were absent of whom 24, 073 were boys while 33,734 were girls, presenting an increase in absenteeism rate from 15.7 percent in 2012 to 19.1 percent in 2013.
The minister said analyses show that North-Western, Western, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces recorded a higher proportion of candidates who obtained full certificates at 63.6 percent, 60.7 percent, 59.3 percent and 59.3 percent, respectively.
He said Southern, Eastern, Northern, Luapula and Muchinga provinces had less than 50 percent of their candidates obtaining full certificates.
Eastern, Southern, Central and Luapula provinces recorded higher failure rates at 9.88 percent, 9.65 percent, 9.1 percent and 7.8 percent. The national failure rate was 6.99 percent.
Dr Phiri said even if there is an improvement in performance of pupils in 2013, there is still room for further improvement to ensure that high failure and low proportions of candidates obtaining full certificates at grade 9 level are reduced.
He said findings have shown that learner performance can be improved if pupils are taught in familiar languages.
The minister also said that 253 cases of examination malpractices were reported during the 2013 examinations.
He said pupils who were involved in examination malpractices were expelled from the entire examination while those who wrote their results have been withheld pending investigations.
And Exanimations Council of Zambia director Michael Chilala said the high entries by pupils but absent themselves from examination was huge waste of taxpayers’ money.
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