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Professor Mavhima

Melody Mashaire and Abigail Mawonde
GOVERNMENT is set to come up with a learner’s profile that will help to monitor the performance of pupils in schools to identify their abilities and potential at an early stage.

Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Professor Paul Mavhima said this in a recent interview.

“We should have a permanent record of a child from the time he or she enters into Early Childhood Development (ECD-A), and we can have these children enrolling in ECD as early as four years old for mental stimulation,” he said.

“By the time they reach Form Six, we can be able to help them with career guidance.”

The learner’s profile is meant to help the pupil, teacher and parent in identifying a pupil’s skills, strengths and interests.

It can also be used to highlight potential barriers to learning and make recommendations about what is needed to support learning. Deputy Minister Mavhima said the ministry was still working on how the profile will work.

“We hope that in the course of the new curriculum we can come up with the procedure,” he said.

He said countries like Israel had implemented the use of learners’ profiles and the programme was successful.

He said it was also important for parents to ensure children are healthy as this impacts on their wellness and performance in education.

Meanwhile, the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry has also arranged a trial Grade Seven agriculture examination set for this year, in a move expected to enlighten teachers and pupils on the importance of the subject.