Are beginning of term exams relevant?

Feb 01, 2011

AS what they do,” she says students pack their bags to report for term one, beginning of term exams await them. To some students, the exams are an encumbrance to relaxation before class work gets serious.

By Anthony Olwoch

AS what they do,” she says students pack their bags to report for term one, beginning of term exams await them. To some students, the exams are an encumbrance to relaxation before class work gets serious.

There has been debate on the relevancy of beginning of term exams. Some schools insist on start of term exams while others do not actually conduct beginning of term exams.

Elizabeth Wakaisoka, the headteacher of Mpigi Secondary School in Luweero, says some schools and teachers think beginning of term exams is a waste of time which could be used to cover the syllabus. Some teachers are too lazy to set and mark the exams, while others do not take it seriously.

The same view is held by Martin Okiria Obore, the headteacher of Ngora High School. Obore notes that if the beginning of term exams is not well time tabled, it can affect the coverage of the syllabus which eventually affects the performance of students in national examinations.

The marks scored in the beginning of term exams usually contribute towards the total percentage of the final end of term examinations. Because of this, Wakaisoka says some students from poor families who are not allowed into school before they have cleared their fees in full, end up performing poorly at the end of term because they lack the percentage that comes from the beginning of term exams.

Insisting on beginning of term exams
A section of the education stakeholders maintain that beginning of term exams are beneficial and impact positively on the performance of students.

The headteacher of Bukedi College Kachonga in Butaleja District, Peter Ogooro, emphasises that the exams are very necessary because they encourage students to read during holidays.

“The uniqueness of beginning of term exams is that it examines what was taught in the previous

term which helps teachers to know the topics and subjects that were not well understood and then help the students to revise them.”

Ogooro adds that mid-term exams are also a good yardstick to test students on what was taught previously and in the first half of the current term, while end of term exams are intended to test students generally on what has been covered in the syllabus,” he notes.

Okiria says the exams are a good strategy to have students report early at beginning of term which consequently helps the teachers to complete the syllabus on time.

It also exposes students to a good number of questions putting them in a better position to interpret and approach questions correctly.

“The advantage of beginning of term examines is that it encourage students to read during holidays in order to refresh their memory of what was taught in the previous terms. Adopting a reading time table during holidays also helps them to exercise discipline, shape their character and stay away from unproductive behaviour.

“Another advantage is that it helps teachers come out of the holiday mood and get serious right from the beginning of term,” Wakaisoka adds.

Kusemererwa says beginning of term exams are very important and are intended to assess whether students have used their holiday time productively.


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