PHASING out of the Solomon Islands Secondary Entrance Examination (SISE) administered to year 6 primary school pupils has increased the rate for year 6 pupils to year 7.
Minister for Education and Human Resources Development Lanelle Olandrea Tanangada has stated.
She added, when terminating the examination, her Ministry has also improved access rate for year 6 pupils to year 7 junior secondary education, from a mere 70 percent – fifteen years ago, to now 100 percent.
“The now discarded SISE denied primary school aged children’s chance and right to secondary education,” she said.
However, she said the new assessment regime that replaced the external examination regime requires year 6 teachers to not only strengthen their classroom assessment program and practices but also to support them to improve their assessment knowledge, skills and competencies.
“In 2020 the MEHRD devised an assessment guideline that aimed to upskill year 6 teachers.
“However, it was in 2021 that training workshops were held for teachers and this year MEHRD plans to extend its support as well as consolidate its training so that the year 6 teachers targeted are continually supported to implement the new classroom assessment regime,” she said.
She said this program has financial implications and a portion of the budget allocated to her Ministry would be used to support the training of year 6 teachers throughout the country.
By FOLLET JOHN
Newsroom, Honiara
