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
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Ko e ngaahi taimi pehe ni he ngaahi ta'u kuo maliu atu kuo tau 'osi fiefia holo he ola e sivi 'a e Fanau pea koe me'a 'oku fa'a ngaahi pola lalahi ai e maatu'a he Sapate Ako ko e ola lelei o e sivi. Koeni tau kei nofo holo mo e ola fakaangaanga, pea 'e fai pe ha kii ngaahi kai fakaangaanga he Sapate ee!
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Malo e lelei Tamanomuka. Koe ki'i tokanga atu ki he pehee
"Ko Princeton ne nau tu'utu'uni ke oua na'a toe laka hake he peseti e 35 e kalasi oku nau A he oku fakaoli ia ke A pe A+ peseti e 50 o e kalasi. He ko e vaivai'anga e taha e standardization."
Was this really a standardization? I don't understand how this possible given that standardization used the Bell-Shaped Normal Distribution curve. That is, if more than 35% gains an A then the distribution can't be bell shaped hence can't be a standardization. The bell-shaped curve dictates that only a few will get an A, a little bit more with B's and most will get a C, etc.
That is how I understand it and I can be wrong too!
Malo. -
Mo'oni e holo e akoo ka oku simplistic hono tukuaki'i e standardization o pehee ko e uhinga ia e holo e akoo. Ko e 'u univesiti Ivy League o Amelika oku nau ngaue'aki e standardization. Pea oku osi i ai hono fakaanga'i e standardization pea makatu'unga ai hono hanga e he taha e ngaahu univesiti taalaa hange ko Dartmouth o faka'asi e raw mark mo e standardized mark he'enau official transcript. Ko Princeton ne nau tu'utu'uni ke oua na'a toe laka hake he peseti e 35 e kalasi oku nau A he oku fakaoli ia ke A pe A+ peseti e 50 o e kalasi. He ko e vaivai'anga e taha e standardization. I harvard oku iai e kau faiako tokosi'i oku nau ave maaka standardization pea nau 'ave e raw mark ki he individual students. Ko e tukuaki'i e standardization ko e false diagnosis o e palopalemaa. Pe ko hono 'ai pee ke haupapa e standardization ke makatu'unga ai e tali o Piveni
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Na'e 'omai e tokotaha mei Nu'usila ke ne vakai'i mo 'analaiso e polokalama 'a Piveni mo e polokalama 'oku ngaue'aki 'e he va'a sivi. Ne fai e 'uluaki vakai ki he totongi e polokalama, ne holoki 'e he tokotaha ko eni e Polokalama 'a Piveni, ki he mahu'inga ko e $500 Tonga 'aki e 'uhinga ko eni ;
Ko e Polokalama 'a Piveni 'ikai ke toe 'I ai ha'ane kehekehe mo e polokalama 'oku lolotonga ngaue'aki 'e he va'a sivi. Ko e kehe pe polokalama 'a Piveni ko e fakaki'i teuteu pe 'I tu'a 'o ngali kehe ai, ka koe fo'i misini ngaue tatau tofu pe 'ikai ha toe kehekehe.
Ko e fakatata lelei ki ai, ko ha fu'u tamapua 'I he falekoloa 'oku display ai ha ngaahi kofu ke tu'u aki fakatau. Ko e uike ni ko e kofu kehe 'oku tu'uaki ai 'I he $100, uike kaha'u ko e fo'i style kehe ia $500, uike hoko ko e fo'i kofu kehe $10, ko e ngaahi kofu keheheke, ka 'oku display pe he fo'i sino'i tamapua tatau.
Ko e fakatata ia 'a e tokotaha ko eni ki he Polokalama 'a Piveni. Kapau ko ia 'oku pehe, Pea 'e anga fefe leva ha fakalakalaka, ko e omi pe me'a tatau 'o fai 'aki e ngaue. -
Mahalo na'e tonu ke 'ai ha toketa faka palemia ia ke muimui folau holo he palemia kapau koe 'uhinga koe mahamahaki....pea 'oku ou tui 'oku 'ikai ke faka'ofa e foha ia 'oe palemia.....'oku ne fu'u lahi fe'unga pe ke pehee mai e foha....'oku 'ikai keu fie fai 'e au e ngaue ko ia he 'oku hala fakamolale mo fakangaue ia.....'oku 'i ai nai ha toe mafai ke sio ki he me'a ni....na'a 'ohovale pe kuo hoko ia ko e norm 'i e ngaue 'i hotau ki'i fonua.....malo
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This PM left the Ministry of Education in 1981 pe ofi kiai.. ne kaufaki'i mai e vaka oe Potungaue Ako 'ehe kau mataotao Ako 'o e fonua kae afe motu'a ni ia ki he Politiki.. osi e ta'u e 30 tupu kuo hu mai ke 'o fai e fo'i fokotu'utu'u e foki ai e fonua moe ako ki he ta'u e 60s.. nae nofo pe mei he Potungaue oku kei faiako I Kolisi Faiako kae mahalo 'I he Sociology moe Geography.. 'e 'ikai ke tau fakaanga ka 'ikai tali mei he ngaahi fonua muli e fo'i 'ali aki ko 'eni 'a e motu'a PM ko 'eni.. na'a ne mei tuku a Dr Taufe'ulungaki koe expert ia he Ako ke fakaoc 'ene ngaue lelei ma'a e ako he fonua o Tupou..
Kae kehe kuo hu e Politiki ki loto ki he ako 'o hu ai pe mo hono mahanga ko 'ai pa'anga ki loto pea koe me'a pe 'ena te tau iku kiai.. Malie lahi.. ko fe Polokalama Komipiuta ke fai kiai ha vakai he kuo mahino pe 'a e 'uhinga hono tukuaki'i e me'a fua... oku to lalo e ako koe attitude oe kau ako moe fonua pea moe nounou fkfaiako 'e ngaahi ta'u kuo maliu atu... ne toki tatapuni 'e Taufe'ulungaki e ngaahi post e ni'ihi kimui ni mai ka kuo 'iai e feava'aki mei he ngaahi ta'u ne fai ai e redundancy scheme a e fonua...Malie e -
Kou fakalata'ia he talanga koeni ku asi a bonafide mo 'ene poini pea ko e fakalata ia 'a e talanoa, pea kapau ko ha famili ofi ia o e PM, kau lelei ene kii asi mai na'a hu atu ha me'i mo'oni e!
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'e bonafide, tohi pe 'e koe ha'o me'a mo ha'o 'uhinga, 'oku 'ikai keke kau koe he'eku tohi 'a'aku e me'a 'oku ou 'ilo mo tui kiai. 'Oku tau'ataina e tokotaha kotoa ke tohi hono loto mo 'ene fakakaukau he paenga ni. kapau 'oku ke poupou ki he PM mo 'ene ngaahi fokotu'utu'u, faka'ofo'ofa. Tohi ia pea 'ai ho'o ngaahi 'uhinga ki ho'o poupou. 'Oua teke fiekau mai koe he'emau tohi mo 'emau fakakaukau he 'oku 'ikai lea atu ha taha ia ki ho'o me'a 'oku tohi. mahino atu e.
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bona fide , you actually believe the Prime Minister ?..then you must be one of them blind followers who has been brainwashed and made to believe the lies regarding the issue , do you know that the software that the Prime Minister COMMANDED to be bought from his son and his friend was similar to the current software being used at the Examination Unit ?..that it can provide the same raw mark that the Prime Minister wanted but still insist on spending the taxpayers money on it ?...do you know that the exam results this year will be using both the raw mark and the standardization version plus GPA ?..and do you know why it is like that ? ..because the change that the Prime Minister wanted is not accepted overseas so the standardization is there for that purpose...the real question is , who is benefiting from this move ? ..I guess you already know that , just follow where the money leads to.
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Mark Hanson ko e palopalema 'oku tuku mai he PM koe ola totonu ia 'ae tukunga ne 'iai 'ae ako. Pea koe fua ia pe koe ola ia 'ae ngaue 'ae kau Assessment moe education expert hange ko koe. Mou tuku ange 'e moutolu 'ae PM ke fai 'ene fokotu'utu'u he 'oku 'ikai koha fakasesele ia ke tui noa'ia. Koe 'uhinga ia 'oku Palemia ai he fonua ni ko 'ene sio loloto mo loloa he ngaue na'ane taukave'i pea tuku 'ae sio lalo kihe Palemia he 'oku 'ikai ke tau 'ohovale hake pe kuo ne ma'u 'ae faka'apa'apa 'ae kakai kae pehe kihe Falealea 'a tonga ke fili ia ke hoko koe palemia. 'Oku ne talamai 'oku ne kumi fale'i kihe kau expert he SPC kenau ngaue pea koe kautaha 'eni 'ae pasifiki fakakatoa 'aia 'oku kumi fale'i kiai 'ae ngaahi fonua memipa.