Standardization Process Fails Education in Tonga Says Prime Minister Featured
Nuku'alofa, 8 September 2015. The Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva has revealed that recent progressive analysis of quality education in Tonga has shown that the rate of students passing their exams has been declining over the last decade.
Since taking office in January, the Hon. Minister of Education has embarked on an audit of results of students passing primary and senior secondary school exams to determine a way forward for the development of education in Tonga.
In his preliminary findings, the Hon. Minister was able to confirm that the pass rate has been declining since 2002 in the Secondary Entrance Examination (SEE).
For the period 2002–2014, the pass rate of the overall students that sat for English and Mathematics in SEE is consistently around 30% or below. This level of performance is disappointingly low.
The data shows that there is no consistent improvement in learning achievement over the last 12 years, despite efforts and funding that have been injected into the reformation of the education system. In 2002, 23% of the total students that sat for English passed. This pass rate dropped to 20% in 2014. In Mathematics, only 17% passed in 2014, a marginal drop of 14 percent from 31% in 2002.
There is also a clear indication that popular subjects like Tongan Studies and Environmental Science have been declining in the number of students that passed with 50% raw marks or better.
Revelation of poor performance in raw marks was not known to the public because of the standardization process and how results were reported. The scaling of results has misled the public on student performance against prescribed learning outcomes thus allowing students to enter secondary school ill prepared. It infers that the scaling process has allowed students who actually failed in Mathematics and English to move on to secondary school alongside those who had passed legitimately.
In the same progressive analysis of Form 5 education for the period 2007–2014, the results of students passing their exams in terms of raw marks is disappointing. The pass rate in most subjects averaged below 20%, and is cause for serious concern. Accounting and Economics show pass rate well below 20%. The same goes for Science and Agriculture with pass rate of 15% and lower in the last 5 years.
In the case of Mathematics, an average of 200 students passed every year in the last 5 years out of an average enrolment of 1700 per year. The Hon Minister says that the poor results at the Form 5 level reflects the quality of education inherited by students from Primary School level. He believes that the ministry was misled with the fabrication of true achievement through the Standardization Process.
The recent figures being released applies to all schools in Tonga. The Hon. Minister of Education says that another disappointing revelation, is the fact that the Form 7 retention rate in the past decade were around 15% only. Out of 3100 students who sat the class 6 Secondary Entrance Examination in 2006, only 467 made it to Form 7 in 2013. In terms of quality education, out of the 467 students who sat for Form 7 examination in 2013, an average of only 20 percent passed with raw marks of 50% or better.
The Hon. Minister has engaged a team of educational experts from SPC (EQAP) for the implementation of an education system that will address the current problems. He also emphasized that the ministry will strengthen the database system so that analytical reports can be made available in a timely manner to foster more informed decision making and policy direction. It is his vision to put in place a process that can turn around the declining results in the next 4 years.
The Hon. Minister will ensure that detail assessment data would be made available to the public on an annual basis to show the actual impact of the education system on the academic performance of students.
ENDS
Issued by the:The Prime Minister's Office, P.O. Box 62, Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Tel: (676) 24 644 Fax: (676) 23 888; For media enquiries-Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
20 comments
-
Ministry of Education needs a Data Analyst to analyze the data not a computer programmer. hahhahah.
Fiema'u ke 'ave mo e specialist totonu ki hono tata'aki. Kae 'oua 'oatu e specialist telinga ia ke tafa mata - ko e me'a ia 'oku lahi ai e palopalema.
Faka'osi -- Ko e solova e ngaahi palopalema ko ena he'ikai lava ia 'e ha mataotao , palofesa pe toketa . 'I he fekau 'a e 'Otua kia Seluipepeli 'ia Sakalaia - he toe langa e temipale 'I Selusalama - 'It won't be by any other power, or by any other force, it won't be by any human effort, or human wisdom , BUT ONLY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Tonga ko e foki 'o 'apasia kia Sihova - ko ia pe te ne tokonai mai e solova 'anga 'o e ngaahi Palopalema.
Ko e koto kula noa e feinga ko ena, ka 'ikai kau 'a Sihova ia he kau langa. Ko e koto kula noa 'a e feinga ko ena 'a PM - kapau he'ikai kene acknowledge 'a e 'OTUA pea tukulolo 'o humble himself in the presence of the LORD. -
He ko hai koaa 'a Piveni? Koha expert ia he assessment moe education? 'oku 'ikai ko Piveni tokotaha pe 'oku ne lava e 'analaiso data, fele e kakai,ka koe pone foki ena ia 'a PM. Taka tatele fakatikitato. Koe ta'aki e lulutava 'ae kau minisita ki mu'a ka koena kuo nau fakakengi mo fakafamili hono lulu e ki'i fu'u tava 'oku hanga ki ai e kah'au 'oe kakai moe fonua. PM was not a good educator, not even a good teacher!!! pea ko ena 'oku ha mai pe he'ene fa'ahinga fulihi takai holo e potungaue ako.
Malie kakai !!!!!! -
Oh No!
Then he has to choose to leave office and enjoy every official trip ahead of him with his son. Spend all the money that Government collect from all his court punishment, take a bucket of ice and beers to the door of hell, hi5 to Satan before walking in. -
I am getting suspicious about the money that the PM and minister of Education has allocated in the budget for assessment. Who are the educational experts from the EQAP ? His son is not an expert. He is only an employee. Is the golfer/software expert one of them ? Why did not the minister take Dr. Pongi's advice but calling a meeting with some of the school principals to decide this very sensible issue ? Why did not he allow Dr. Pongi to present to the Cabinet as he did to Piveni ?
Piveni has been doing about 4 consultation meetings with officers from the Ministry of Education. In the last meeting, 3 officers told Piveni that they were no longer interested in repeating what he already said about the weaknesses of using raw marks. They were more interested in telling them the way forward. Unfortunately, the minister accompanied his political friend to this meeting. He immediately interrupted the meeting by raising his voice, "ko hai, ko hai 'ia kimoutolu te ne lava 'o analaiso e data ? Is this the way forward ? lol. I am sure this is the way he is going to take us during his time in office. -
Very true!! There are many factors that contributed to the failure of education in Tonga.
1. Curriculum
2. Recruitment of Teachers
3. Curriculum
4. Setting of the Exam papers
5. Marking of Exam Papers.
6. Examiners ?
7 Markers?
8. Etc.
hahahahahaha??? Malie pea toe lelesoni -
Malie e . ha kuo tukuaki'i ai e me'a fua??? koe me'afua 'ena ia 'oku ne tala e to lalo... The impact of the 60,70,80 demands of civil servants and the number of teachers who were in redundant in the following years have to be looked at closely... Oku tau hanga atu kitautolu ki he tu'unga faingata'a he kaha'u he kuo ha mai heni 'a e mo'oni ne tuku mai 'e Mokofisi he ngaahi mahina kuo 'osi. Oku fakakaukau e motu'a PM ni ke fetongi 'aki e polokalama a Visesio mo Uhilamoelangi Fasi 'a e polokalama 'a hono foha... Oku lahi 'aupito e ngaahi 'uhinga ia ki he tolalo 'a e ngaahi sivi ka 'oku hange 'eni ia koe me'afua sivi ia kuo tukuaki'i.. Kuo osi fai e Dr Helu mo e ni'ihi hono fkmatala'i e mahu'inga oe standardization ka 'oku vili ta'e'unua pe motu'a ni.. Malie PM
-
Hanga e he Article ko'eni oku huhulu mai e fo'i tangaki tu'unga koeni 'o anga pehe ni;
NGAAHI POTUNGAUE 'A E PULE'ANGA 'O TONGA 'OKU LELE FAKAHOLOMUI;
1. Potungaue Ako: Ko e tu'u he taimi ni 'oku 'ikai ke 'ilo pe ko fe ha 'apiako 'i muli mo hotau fonua kaunga'api te ne tali 'etau kau lava mei he sivi Form 7 'aki 'a e Raw Marks reporting.
2. Potungaue Pa'anga: 'Oku 'ikai kenau lava 'o enforce 'enau Procurement Regulation, ki he fakatikitato 'a e tu'utu'uni 'a e Minisita Ako moe Minisita Ngaue'anga Lalahi.
3. Potungaue Savea mo e Fonua: Kuo vahe 'a Patangata ta'e fakalao pea kuo 'ikai kenau lava ke ta'ofi 'a Minisita Lavulavu he'ene teke noa'ia holo e 'api e kakai.
4. Potungaue Internal Affairs: Kuo hamulele mai a e CEDAW 'ikai fou i he process.
5. Potungaue Ngaue'anga Lalahi 'a e Pule'anga: 'Oku longomo'ui mo ngauengaue'a e Minisita 'i he ngaue kehekehe KA oku ta'efakalao. 'Oku tolalo mo e Potungaue Fefolau'aki Vakapuna Sivile 'oku 'i hono malumalu he ko e accident eni e fiha a e Real Tonga 'ikai pe ke ta'ofi. Tu'u atu foaki e ngofua ngaue ma'a muli ta'e'ofa lahi mo e tomotomo.
Toki hoko atu e tanaki tu'unga 'i he 'osi honau mahina 12, ko e ola pe ena o e 'aliaki he mahina pe eni e 8. -
Na'e 'iai 'ae accident 'i tonga ni he uike kuo'osi 'i mala'e vakapuna koe pehe ne hala 'ae reading 'ehe ongo pailate 'ae mea ngaue 'oku ne talamai fakafoki kihe pailate 'ae oma 'ae vakapuna. pea tupu meihe fehalaaki 'ae me'a ngaue ne fehalaaki ai 'ae faitu'utu'uni 'ae pilot 'o hoko ai 'ae accident. 'Oku natula tatau 'eni moe issue he tolalo 'ae ako 'oku 'uhinga kiai 'ae PM moe minista ako. Ne hanga he fehalaaki 'ae me'angue nene report mai 'ae tu'unga 'ae ako ke pehe 'ehe kau pilot he ako 'oku sai pea faka'ofo'ofa pe 'enau ngaue 'o tupunga ai 'ae 'ikai kenau toe fai ha ngaue makehe mei he me'a anga maheni pea koe definition ia 'ae mataotao ko Einstein kihe Insanity pe koe Fakasesele kapau tetau hokohoko pe he me'a tatau katau 'amanaki kiha ola 'oku kehe. Kapau 'e ha'u pe minisita 'o ngaue 'aki pe 'ae me'angaue tatau pea koe ha 'ae toe ola kehe tetau ma'u
-
Who is the PM trying to fool? Does he really believe that by changing the exam reporting system the quality of education in Tonga will suddenly improve? little wonder that this kind of crap comes from the PM and Minister of Education because it is the advise given by his highly qualified advisor, the golfer!!! This is the most embarrassing press release from the ministry of education. Education professionals and experts the world over will fall down laughing at this big joke !!! But this is the path this government is taking the country on, down to the valley of death!!! What does he mean by pass rate and pass mark? Doesn't he realise that Class 6 exams did away with pass mark more than 30 years ago, and different secondary school systems select their own students from Class 6 graduates using their own criteria and marks requirements? so whose marks is he using as the pass mark? this press release only shows how ignorant the PM is on educational matters and how ill informed and ill adivsed he is. He should seek experts in education to advise him, not golfers and commercial software developers.
-
It is not the standardization that fails education in Tonga. There are so many factors that contribute to the cause of this decline. It is quite absurd to point out at this stage that the root of the problem is the standardization and reporting system. What about the curriculum ? Teaching ? etc. I am definite that this problem cannot be solved by changing standardization and reporting system. The Hon. minister sounds positive about his vision but I am definite that he cannot alleviate the problem, within his 4 years in office, by changing standardization and reporting system.