POST: SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER

JOB DESCRIPTION: DUTIES AND particular term and evaluate them by the end of
RESPONSIBILITIES each term and year respectively.
a. Supervising teaching and learning in the  Prepare and circulate the agenda
department  Circulate the minutes for the previous
meeting
Maintaining high standards of teaching throughout
 Identify venue and time
the department by supervising and coordinating
 Budget for the meeting
work done in the department.
 Call for other items to be included on the
 Checking lesson plans and schemes and agenda
records of work
How to conduct the actual meeting
 Classroom supervision and appraisal
 Joint planning  Circulate attendance sheet
 Team teaching and marking  Call the meeting to order
 Period register checking  Make introductory remarks
 Observing and evaluating performance of  Attendance/apologies
students and learners by class supervisions,  Ask the staff secretary to read minutes of the
providing feedback, examinations and previous meeting
assignments  Corrections and adoption of the minutes of
b. Ensuring that teaching and learning materials the previous meeting
are available in the department.  Matters arising from minutes of the previous
 Ensuring that both the teaching and meeting
examination syllabus for both JCE and  New agenda and its adoption
MSCE are made available to teachers  Any other business
 Being conversant with the syllabus
Why conduct meetings
 Knowing the prescribed and supplementary
textbooks  For communication e.g. changes on the
 Checking the contents of the prescribed text curriculum
books  Get feedback
 Liaise with subject teachers  Subject allocation
 Know your stocks  Departmental needs identification
 Make a requisition from the stores  Making arrangements for team planning,
 Borrow from other schools teaching and marking
 TALULAR  Cements relationships
 Replenish the depleted stock d. Preparing departmental budget estimates
 Maintain the available stock
Participating in the budget estimates excise of the
 Submitting to entire management
school before its consolidation in in the national
requirements of textbooks and general
budget.
equipment of the department in good time.
c. Planning/organizing departmental meetings  Know the enrolment
and in – service training activities  Know available stocks
 Know the departmental ceiling
Convening departmental meetings to plan for
 Set priorities
activities the department is going to carry out in a
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  Submit to the Head Teachers j. Supervising the use of laboratories
e. Checking test items  Ensuring that teachers take stock of the
equipment and school supplies in their
Coordinating the setting and administration of
department and submit the details of the
internal examinations in consultation with the
losses and damages by the students to the
examinations' officer.
administration
 Drafts for each test should be thoroughly k. Advising the Headteacher on the matters
checked before typing and there after correct affecting the department
the soft copy as well before it is printed. A  Preparing annual report on the work of the
copy of each test and its marking scheme department and highlighting problems
should have filed in the departmental file. encountered and suggesting ways of solving
f. Participating in preparation of master them
timetable l. Maintaining a record of any departmental
 Factors to consider when preparing a master teaching and learning material and textbook
time-table issued to students and teachers.
 Period allocation per subject per week
Tools used in Supervise staff and learners
 Length of the school day as stipulated by the
Ministry These Include:
 Subjects that require more mental  Lesson plan
concentration such as mathematics to come  Period register
in the morning or soon after break  Schemes and Records of work
g. Acting as Headteacher in absence of both the  Mark book
Headteacher and the Deputy Headteacher  Progress reports
 Undertaking any other duties which may be  Scholastic records
assigned by the head teacher from time to
time Factors that make schemes of work important
h. Inducting new members of staff in the in your teaching
department
a. Schemes enable the teacher to ensure that all
 Guiding the members of the department in the
sections of the syllabus are covered
preparation of schemes and records of work.
b. Schemes help the teacher to divide/segment
The head of the department should ensure
the lesson
that schemes and records of work conform to
c. They aid in the preparation of lesson plan
the requirements set out in the syllabus
d. They provide smooth takeover when the
before the work is submitted to the head
officer allocated to teach the subject is
teacher through the deputy head
absent or has transferred, for continuity
i. Participating in the disciplinary committee
e. They are a record monitored by Ministry
meetings
officials for quality control
 Maintain staff and students’ discipline through:
 Good planning Factors to consider when preparing a master
 Good communication time-table
 Teacher and pupil motivation
 Period allocation per subject per week
 Participation in decision-making
 Delegation  Length of the school day as stipulated by the
 Academic pressure for students Ministry

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 Subjects that require more mental concentration Procedures for staff
such as mathematics to come in the morning or
 The culprit is summoned by the Headteacher
soon after break
 He/she is charged with the offence committed
 More strenuous subjects like Agriculture and PE
 He/she writes a report to defend himself/herself
to come just before breaks to give pupils time to
rest and clean themselves  If he/she committed a crime with a pupil, the
latter is asked to write a report
 Adequate break time
 The issue is reported to the EDM’s office with
Why Time-tables are important reports for determination of the necessary
corrective measures
 To inform teachers and pupils when classes start
and end, when break occurs and when a day’s Explain how guidance and counselling is
work is done significant to learners in secondary schools.
 It informs subjects taught and duration
a. Guiding on future career based on strong
 It ensures that all subjects are taught and that
subject choices
each subject receives its due share of attention
b. Providing emotional support to problems
in terms of time
faced by the students
 It ensures that teachers teach each subject at the
c. Supporting learners with psycho-social
right time
problems emanating from the status of the
Examples of school time-tables family
 Master timetable d. Helping learners achieve equal status in the
 Class timetable school
 Extra-curricular timetable e. Team building
 Examination timetable What factors do you consider when delegating
 In boarding schools, the dining menu responsibilities to staff?
Handling discipline issues a. The nature of task requiring delegation
Procedures for students b. The capacity of the officer to be delegated
c. Responsibility/ trustworthiness/ integrity
 The pupil is summoned by the Headteacher
Why have an Internal Procurement Committee
 He/she is charged on a charge sheet which
(IPC) in the school?
he/she signs
 He/she writes a report a. For value for money
 Witnesses write their reports b. For transparency and accountability
 A discipline committee is called chaired by the c. Conflicts of interest are identified and
Deputy Head managed
 The culprit and witnesses are heard d. To check on fraud and corruption
 The discipline committee makes e. For fair treatment of suppliers
recommendations to the Headteacher f. To promote unity within the school
 The Headteacher acts upon the discipline How do you motivate a teacher?
committee report and makes determination by
recommending counselling, rustication, a. Recognition
suspension or dismissal b. Delegation

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  Delegation means assigning someone or a  Preparing teaching materials.
group of people to carry out specific given
Teaching
tasks on behalf of the one in authority
Why delegate  Preparing method of teaching and assessing
students;
i. To give oneself time to perform other important  Ensuring that all relevant teaching materials are
duties, e.g. supervision available and improvise where necessary;
ii. To provide an opportunity for the subordinates  Ensuring that subject matter is delivered within
to be trained on decision making as they carry the allocated time;
out assigned tasks  Ensuring that the chalkboard and laboratory are
iii. To create a growing sense of responsibility clean before and after use; and
iv. To increase teachers’ sense of belonging  Ensure that safety rules in the laboratory are
v. To motivate staff members followed (for the sciences teachers).
vi. To reduce indispensability
c. Participation Class management
d. Communication
 Ensuring that students are given enough work to
e. Staff development
do;
Prepare and maintain inventory of teaching and  Supervising practical and class work;
learning materials  Ensuring that students’ behavior is consistent
with standing regulations
How?
 Ensuring to be exemplary to students.
 Check the available stocks  Maintaining records i.e. learners’ progress,
 Document the stocks attendance registers and scholastic information;
 Display the inventory  Maintaining learners’ discipline
 File a copy of the inventory  Identifying and responding to learners’ needs
 Managing the laboratory efficiency and
Why?
effectively
 For security of teaching and learning materials  Providing counselling and guidance to learners
 Transparency and accountability  Assessing learners regularly
 Guides replenishment
Administration
 Assists handover
 Facilitates planning  Attending departmental, sectional and staff
meetings as well as general assemblies
Duties of a teacher
 Preparing relevant learning/teaching materials
Planning and equipment
 Preparing budget requirement for the class
 Preparing schemes of work and lesson plans in
the various subjects’ areas; Performing any other duties assigned by the
 Designing an appropriate time for the whole Headteacher
term and determining number of lessons per day General questions and proposed other all grades
and per week according to syllabus;
 Identifying and acquiring relevant textbooks for a. A teacher is a planner. State four functions you
library and class use will be expected to do in planning.

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 Prepare schemes and records of work  Outcome
 Prepare lesson plans  Remarks
 Prepare teaching notes f. Why are Teaching and Learning materials
 Identify and prepare learning materials important in lesson delivery?
b. Mention the components of a lesson plan  They help to promote learning in pupils
 The preamble  They arouse pupils’ curiosity and motivation
 Rationale  They sustain pupils’ attention throughout the
 The success criteria lesson
 Pre – requisite knowledge  They simplify difficult and complex concepts
 Teaching and learning materials which would be difficult for pupils to understand
 Presentation  They reinforce pupils’ memory
 Evaluation  They help pupils in acquiring listening and
c. What is the purpose of a lesson plan observation skills
 Reminds the teacher of what he/she is going to g. Explain how guidance and counselling is
teach and how he/she is going to teach it significant to learners in secondary schools.
 Guide the teacher to present the ideas in a  Guiding on future career based on strong
logical order subject choices
 Guide the teacher in the use of Teaching and  Providing emotional support to problems faced
Learning materials during lesson presentation by the students
 Give the teacher confidence during lesson  Supporting learners with psycho-social
presentation problems emanating from the status of the
 Enable authorities to give a practical and family
constructive advice when observed  Helping learners achieve equal status in the
 The lesson plan enables both the teacher to school
judge whether or not the lesson has achieved the  Team building
intended objectives h. State four elements you would look for when
d. What factors do you consider when preparing supervising a teacher.
Schemes of Work?  Preparation: availability of schemes, lesson
 Pupils previous experience plan and teaching and learning aids
 Class ability  Presentability
 The Teaching Syllabus  Knowledge of the subject matter
 School Calendar  Effectiveness and proper use of teaching and
 Instructional materials learning materials
 Time available  Correct pacing during lesson presentation
 Text books  Spreading of questions
e. Mention any FOUR components of a Scheme i. Why is a mark-book important?
of Work  It is a record that guides the teacher to check
 Weeks and Dates the progress of each particular learner
 The Success Criteria  It provides feed back to the school, authorities
 Planned activities and parents on the performance of the students
 Teaching, learning and Assessment Methods  It facilitates promotion of successful students to
 Teaching, Learning and Assessment Resources the next class
 References
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 It enables the teacher to select students who may Acts of Misconduct
need remedial lessons.
A Civil Servant is guilty of misconduct who commits
j. How would you improve the quality of teaching
the following acts:
and learning at the institution?
 Absenteeism
 Following a recommended curriculum
 Negligence
 Teaching every allocated period
 Incompetence
 Punctuality
 Insubordination
 Planning my work well: writing schemes and
 Non-compliance with regulations
records of work; lesson plans
 Inappropriate behavior
 Giving students tasks to perform: assignments;
 Breach of confidentiality
 Assessment and Feedback;
 Failure to report conflict of interest
 Team teaching/planning/marking
 Abuse of public resources
How to maintain school discipline  Criminal act or offence
 Have a well prepared programme  Soliciting political interference for employment
gains
 Announce school rules and regulations and
explain them clearly  Absenteeism during working hours
 Double employment
 Share responsibilities equally according to
abilities and interests  Unauthorized interference with affairs of
 Appoint and make use of prefects another organization
 Unauthorized dissemination of information
 Cultivate good staff relationships and good
pupil/teacher relationships  Bribery
 Cultivate good relationships between the staff  Running for political position/ active
and community involvement in politics
 Check that the preparation and teaching of  Fraudulent misrepresentation
lessons is adequate  Causing or permitting to be done or conniving
 Establish sound system of communication in any act which is prejudicial to the
 Suggestions and problems should be discussed administration, discipline or efficiency of the
together to foster a collect effort to achieve the civil service or any part of it
goals of the school  Committing any of the following offences and
being convicted thereof by a court of law
How can you improve gender equality at the  Extortion, bribery, corruption
institution?  Theft, theft by false pretenses, receiving
stolen property
a. Mixed sitting arrangements
 Fraud and forgery
b. Duty roster include boys and girls
 Attempt, incitement or conspiracy to commit
c. Equal opportunities in responding to
an offence under this subsection
questions
d. Groups comprising boys and girls  21. Attempting to secure intervention from
e. Adequate desks for boys and girls political sources in relation to his/her position
f. Responsibilities given to both boys and girls or conditions of employment in the civil service
g. Use of reinforcement given to both boys and  22. Except with a consent of the Minister and
girls except in accordance with such directions, if any
from time to time be given to him by the minister

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  Does not place the whole of his time during There are 26 National Educational Standards
the normal hours of attendance at the categorized into three groups, namely:
disposal of the Government
1. the outcomes which all students should achieve
 Performs or engages himself to perform work
as a result of being educated in school;
outside the civil service for remuneration
2. the key aspects of the teaching process which
 Is or becomes a director of any company or
lead to students achieving these outcomes; and
syndicate
3. The leadership and management processes
 Acts as a reporter, correspondent or editor of
which need to function effectively for good
a newspaper
teaching and learning to take place.
 Speaks in public, broadcasts, writes letters to
the press, grant interviews, publishes books Outcomes for students
or articles, circulates leaflets or otherwise
publishes anything on matters which are  Learning in lessons
concerned with the Civil Service  Students’ outcomes in the curriculum
 Accepts valuable presents in the discharge of  Attainment across the school
his duties  Students’ participation in education
 Takes part in or assists any activity subversive  Students’ behavior and involvement in school
of the Government life
 Engages in any activity, political or otherwise,  Students’ safety and protection
which interferes with the due performance of his The teaching process
duties as a Civil Servant
 Makes to Government any false claim  A curriculum which is appropriate and relevant
 Has willfully supplied to the appropriate  High expectations
commission or to any officer or other person  Teachers with good professional, subject and
acting as on behalf of the Government incorrect curriculum knowledge
or misleading information in connection with his  Well-planned lessons
or her appointment in the civil service  Teaching for effective learning
 Behaves immorally with any pupil or student of  Accurate and constructive use of assessment
any educational institution in the country  Teaching which meets the needs of all students
Disciplinary Action against teachers  Effective management of behaviour
Leadership
 Written warning
 Suspension  Vision, goals and values
 Demotion  School self-evaluation and improvement
 Restitution/surcharge  School governance
 Dismissal  School leadership
 Reduction of grade
Management
 Reduction of salary
 Stoppage of increment  Partnership with parents and the community
 Withholding of increment  Staff supervision and development
 Severe reprimand  Staff deployment and management
 Compulsory retirement  Care and welfare of students
 Access, equity and inclusion
National education standards
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 Management of buildings and facilities  Motivates performance. The student is able to
 Management of material resources apply self-evaluation, for example the student
 Financial management may be in charge of learning and he /she will be
able to ask how am I doing? How can I do
Assessment better? What else would I like to learn?
 Helps teachers’ self-evaluation; to know what is
Definition of assessment
working for the students, what other ways they
 Assessment is a process of gathering and would apply to help students more and which
discussing information from multiple and diverse direction to go next.
sources in order to develop a deep understanding
Types of assessment
of what students know, understand, and can do
with their knowledge as a result of their a. Formative Assessment
educational experience.  This is on-going assessment that takes place in a
classroom to evaluate student’s progress in a
Reasons for conducting assessment
lesson.
 Drives learning through instructing students and  It is interactive.
informing them of their progress.  This can take the form of baseline or diagnosis
 Informs teaching practice by helping teachers to such that it can be used to find students entry
make sound decisions about their teaching. behavior and also find out what is stopping the
 Helps in grading in order to have certification. students to perform a certain skill or master a
 Helps diagnose students’ entry and exit behavior concept
from one class to another.  The teacher receives immediate feedback that
 Helps to come up with classroom assessment assists to provide guidance and support in the
techniques that would help and be used for form of strategies to overcome barriers.
placement of students in ability groups.  Teachers should use a variety of methods during
 Provides students with timely, specific feedback a lesson to ensure that formative assessment is
that they need to make adjustments to their done. For example, teachers should use question
learning. and answer which activates prior knowledge.
 Teachers should also use quiz, class exercise,
Importance of assessment observation, and many other techniques of
 Provides diagnostic feedback on students’ needs, assessment.
what has been taught, individual students’ b. Summative Assessment
knowledge and performance.  It evaluates students’ learning at the end of an
 Helps teachers to set standards on how instructional unit by comparing it against some
performance demonstrates understanding and standard benchmark, for example, mid-term, end
mastery of knowledge. of term tests and end of year examinations.
 Evaluates progress on how the student is doing, c. Criterion-Referenced Assessment
what teaching methods or approaches are most  Criterion referencing refers to the practice of
effective and what modification to a lesson is assessing a learner’s performance against a set of
needed to help the student criteria. It uses criteria as reference points. In
 Relates to students’ progress in terms of what the case of Outcome Based Education (OBE) the
student has learnt if he/she is able to explain in learner is assessed against agreed criteria derived
detail what they have learnt and can demonstrate from specific outcomes.
and use the new skills. d. Norm-Referenced

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  A norm is a standard or yardstick. Norm Assessment as Learning
referencing implies that the educator assesses a  This involves students in the learning process so
learner’s competence by comparing it to the that they can easily self-evaluate. Examples are
competence of other learners. Traditionally norm visual or audio recording of oral presentations or
referencing was done by means of averages. performances with self, peer or instructor.
Individual learners’ marks are calculated and
Assessment of Learning
compared to the performance of all the learners
 This is done at the end of the lesson to know
in that particular class.
students’ progress. For example, class exercise,
e. Benchmark Assessment
end of sub-topic, topic, unit and end of term
 It is also known as interim assessment. It helps
tests, field service-learning project and other
teachers to identify the gap in students
learning experiences.
understanding and instruction that will likely be
done in future standardized tests based on Tools for assessment
referring to the records of each test administered. a. Paper and pencil test
For example chapter test, project scored with  Paper and pencil tests are usually written
rubric and extended essay. assignments. A test is a systematic procedure
f. Diagnostic Assessment used to measure students’ performance. They are
 It helps teachers to know what cognitive skills categorized into objective and free response
students are having trouble with compared to tests.
what they are supposed to know. It helps the b. Oral questioning
teacher to evaluate students’ entry behavior in a  Oral questioning is often used in a formal
particular topic and make right adjustments to assessment. It is a useful tool to use in assessing
the teaching and learning process. For example, a foreign language acquisition such as English
before starting a topic, students may be required and French.
to do a research on the topic that is to be taught. c. Checklist
Other examples are question and answer,  It involves a list of behaviors as item that occurs
observation, tests, assignments and anecdotal in a given situation. When the behavior occurs,
notes. the observer checks the list and shows that it has
Modes of assessment occurred through usage of a tick or any other
mark.
 The modes of assessment determine episodes d. Observation
when assessment is used and how it affects the  It can be used to observe natural behaviors in
teaching and learning process as well as students. It involves gathering information
students’ achievement. It has direct impact on during lessons and is often used in combination
teachers’ teaching and students’ learning with the checklist.
experiences. e. Peer assessment
Assessment for Learning  It involves students assessing, rating and
evaluating each other’s work.
 It is an on-going assessment that allows teachers  Students exchange their work and assess each
to monitor students’ learning on a regular basis. other under the guidance of a teacher.
It allows the teacher to get immediate feedback  It can be used when the teacher, for some
from the students and allows the teacher to reasons cannot assess the class directly.
modify their teaching. Examples are questions f. Portfolio
during lesson delivery, written work, portfolio of  It involves a systematic collection of samples of
student work. work in which the students’ best skills and

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 accomplishments are displayed over a period of  Planning, construction and utilization of
time such as the whole term. achievement tests and other assessment tools for
 The work is kept in a storage box or filing the measurement of academic achievement of
cabinet and it is supposed to be updated as students.
students’ achievements and skills improve.  Planning, designing and utilizing tools or
 It is important because the documentation of instruments for the assessment of personality
students’ progress is assembled and periodically characteristics and psychomotor behaviors.
evaluated by the teacher and the student  Scoring and interpretation of scores from the
themselves. assessment instruments of various types.
 It is made available to parents and guardians to  Using relevant statistical tests in the continuous
assess the academic progress of the student. assessment practice.
g. Performance test  Maintaining proper and detailed records of
 A performance test is used to measure the ability students’ assessment.
of students, and for example, the ability to make  Integration and co-ordination of teaching
a speech because this requires the student strategies compatible with particular subject
himself to demonstrate the skills by actually matter areas.
performing desired behavior.
 Performance tests are best used in laboratory Steps for carrying out Continuous Assessment
experiments and project. Criteria and goal setting
 Engage students in instruction and the learning
 It involves practical abilities that rely on
process by creating clear expectations.
cognitive and psychomotor activities or both.
 Help students understand and know the learning
 Students are given instructions to carry out an
target/goal and the criteria for reaching it.
experiment or a project and they are asked to
answer a set of questions at the end of the  Establish quality work together with the students.
activity.  Ask students to participate in establishing norm
h. Project and practical behaviors for classroom culture.
 They are used to assess different educational  Ask students to determine what should be
outcomes such as investigative and planning included in criteria for success.
skills as well as ability to use appropriate Making observation
equipment/ materials. The teacher should gather evidence of students
 Students can carry out a project on the topic and learning to:
use the findings to draw a conclusion.  Inform instructional planning
 These are common in science subjects such as  track student progress
Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. An  identify individual and group learning abilities
example of a topic in Agriculture can be “the  Note students who are performing well above
effect of applying fertilizer in a maize field”. and/or beyond expectations as well as those
i. Rubric lagging behind.
 Scoring rubric is a scoring guide that lists  record and use the evidence as feedback for
specific criteria used to evaluate learners’ students
performance based on a range of activities. Incidental observation occurs during the ongoing
 A scoring rubric has three parts which include: activities of teaching and learning and the interactions
performance criteria, a rating scale and the between teacher and students. An unplanned
indicators. opportunity emerges, in the context of classroom
Skills Required for Teachers to conduct activities, where the teacher observes some aspect of
Continuous Assessment individual student learning.
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Planned observation involves deliberate planning of Factors to consider when developing assessment
an opportunity for the teacher to observe specific records
learning outcomes. This planned opportunity may  Number of assessments to be administered so
occur in the context of regular classroom activities or that the final mark reflects student’s ability
may occur through the setting of an assessment task  Assessment policy so that records should reflect
for example, a practical or performance activity. it
Questioning  Clarity of the record so that it can be used and
understood by everyone in case of handovers
 Teachers should integrate questions in their  Accuracy; in terms of calculations
lesson plans. Questions are a quick and  Accessibility where the records can be retrieved
important way of finding out what students any time they are requested
understand about a subject. Teachers can use this  Time: should be within the specified period
information to plan their teaching.  Cost-effectiveness of developing such a record
 There are two main types of questions: closed  Relevance; should be suitable for the level of
and open. study
 A closed question requires a short Forms of assessment records
answer, such as remembering a fact. The  Some of the assessment records that schools
answer is usually right or wrong must keep are:
 An open question needs a longer answer,  Mark Books
and often requires the student to provide  Progress Books
an opinion.  School Reports
 Scholastic Records
Recording assessment results  Individual Cumulative Records
 Recording assessment results means writing  Portfolios.
down or storing assessment information in
different forms. Assessment results may be Meaning of Reporting
recorded electronically or in hard copy.  Reporting is giving feedback on a student’s
Importance of recording assessment results performance in appropriate ways to different
 Helps to monitor students’ academic progress stakeholders such as the students themselves,
 Helps in making timely decisions when planning teachers, parents, community, the examinations
for example, conducting remedial or revision board and other relevant institutions for action.
lessons  It is a process of informing parents about the
 Assists teachers to monitor students’ progress of their child or children in school.
involvement in classroom activities  Staff are advised to record, initially informally
 Acts as a research tool that can inform for example, in their mark book, significant
forecasting in trends of a particular subject points in a child's development, such as a
 Creates basis for reporting to various moment of ‘breakthrough’ in understanding,
stakeholders for example, bursary organizations. interesting examples of problem-solving
 Provides a basis for conducting guidance and strategies, and difficulties encountered/areas of
counselling to students weakness and possible reasons for them.
 Gives confidence to teachers to make rational Importance of Reporting Results of Assessment to
decisions on the students’ performance Stakeholders
 Creates room for assessment throughout a given Students
level of study and considers their progress in  It gives feedback on their strengths and
relation to the set objectives. weaknesses in learning.
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  It motivates students to work hard or for  report card
improvement or to maintain their standard if it is  Media reports.
already a high one. Ways of using continuous assessment results
 It helps students in making their educational and
Continuous assessment results can be used in various
vocational plans.
ways to improve student’s outcomes. Some of them
Parents are as follows:
 Helps them to know how best to assist their a. Assigning grades to students’ work
children make sound future educational and
 Continuous assessment grades reflect student
vocational plans
achievement of intended learning outcomes.
 Helps them to know how best to help their child Assigning grades therefore may motivate
in his school work in view of the child’s students to work extra hard and improve learning
strengths and weaknesses. outcomes. In order to achieve this, teachers
 Makes parents able to cooperate better with the should:
school in promoting the development of their  Develop clear evaluation rubrics and grading
child, since they know their child’s progress in templates in advance and use them accurately.
learning.
 Ensure grading is consistent and accurate to
Teachers
minimize errors.
 Helps the teacher in diagnosing students’
 Give reliable and meaningful grades to
learning difficulties.
determine levels of achievement to the students
 Helps the teacher in planning what to teach and in order to inform them of their progress. This
how to teach, having known the teaching encourages students to concentrate and work
successes and outcomes of the educational effort extra hard.
in respect of the students. b. Evaluating the teaching and learning
Teacher counsellors/mentors process
 Guide the students to understand themselves  Continuous assessment results can be used in
more. identifying strengths and weaknesses for both
 Conduct educational, vocational, and emotional teachers and students. This helps them to reflect
counselling of the students. critically on their performance and what they
School administrators need to improve on.
 Determine the promotion of students to new  By evaluating the teaching and learning process
classes teachers may build on what they are doing well
 Determine deserving students for the award of and revisit the methodologies and resources used
honours and prizes to improve students’ performance.
 Determine the eligibility of students for sporting  On the other hand, students will be encouraged
activities to study extra hard and may seek help where they
 Report about the students to other schools and are not doing well.
prospective employers as the need arises. c. Providing corrective measures
 Continuous assessment results can be used to
Ways of reporting assessment results diagnose learning gaps. By critically analysing
assessment results teachers are able to find out
 There are various ways of reporting results of what problems or difficulties students might be
assessment, which include: experiencing and provide necessary corrective
 parents-teacher conference measures like remediation and revision.
 written report d. Motivating students to study
 remedial report

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  Continuous assessment results may act as a  Provide feedback that suggests ways for
motivating factor to students. For example, improvement
 Students concentrate and study hard when  Feedback should be specific rather than general
preparing for assessments. This facilitates  Provide timely corrective measures like
learning and retention of knowledge and skills remediation
 Students who have done well are encouraged to  It should be understandable to the students
maintain and improve further  Feedback should be acted upon by students to
 Students who fall behind may also study hard improve their work or learning
and improve.  Feedback should accommodate input from
e. Giving feedback to stakeholders students.
 Continuous assessment results constitute
feedback to parents and guardians. By using this Purpose of secondary school education
feedback parents and guardians are able to:  The purpose of secondary school education is to
 provide direction, guidance, advice and provide students with knowledge, appropriate
encourage students to work hard skills, values and attitudes to enable them earn a
 provide necessary material and moral support to living, promote personal development, contribute
both teachers and students to national development, and to pursue tertiary
f. Carrying out action research and higher education.
 Assessment results should help a teacher to carry Priority areas as stated in the NESP
out both qualitative and quantitative action  The following are the priority areas for
research to improve the teaching and students’ secondary school education:
outcomes. For example, assessment results can  Access and equity. Upgrading and
be triangulated with observation and interviews rehabilitating secondary schools, constructing
of students. new structures including hostels for girls.
 Results of such research may inform a teacher of  Quality and relevance. Providing teaching and
the learning and teaching processes to improve learning materials, adequate and qualified
student learning. teachers, and enhancing monitoring of the
teaching and learning process.
 Governance and management. Enhancing
Effective ways of using continuous assessment capacity building in management and planning
results to provide feedback at all levels. Efficient and effective use of
teaching and learning materials through the
 In order to facilitate optimal use of continuous
cluster system.
assessment results to improve student’s
Policy statements on secondary school education
outcomes, feedback is crucial. The following
 The following are statements on policies on
factors should be considered when providing
secondary school education:
feedback
1. Re-admission policy – Girls who become
 Feedback should be provided on time to be pregnant shall be re-admitted after delivery.
useful to students Where a school boy is responsible for a
 Feedback should be linked to the purpose of the pregnancy, he will equally be re-admitted after the
assignment and criteria girl’s delivery. A teacher who is responsible for a
 It should be positive, direct and focused on pregnancy will be interdicted.
learning and improvement rather than on marks 2. Textbook policy – Only the approved textbooks
or students themselves and other supplementary study materials shall be
 Provide information on areas of strengths, used in secondary schools. Textbook Revolving
weaknesses and potentials Fund (TRF) shall be revised from time to time

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 depending on the market value of instructional 17. Teacher induction – there shall be a mandatory
materials. induction for newly recruited teachers
3. Cluster system policy – Secondary schools which 18. Out- sourcing services – outsourcing of
are within the same locality shall form a cluster. secondary school teaching services shall be
Composition of the schools shall be both public encouraged to specialized institutions where there
and private. One school with adequate resources is need at cluster level.
shall be a cluster leader. Schools within the cluster 19. Inspection policy – each school, both public and
shall share resources. private, shall be inspected regularly with or
4. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) without notice by inspectors.
policy – CPD shall be prioritized to educate and 20. Assessment policy – students shall be assessed
continually develop the teachers as professionals regularly in order to monitor their performance.
so that they effectively and efficiently deliver high 21. Certification policy - Certification at junior and
quality and relevant education at both levels of senior levels will be done by the national
secondary school education to meet the needs of examinations board.
the nation.
5. Promotion of teachers’ policy – The The secondary school curriculum has six design
performance appraisal shall be used consistently features:
as a tool to determine eligibility for promotion. 1. Breadth in terms of the range and variety of
6. Inclusion policy – the collaboration framework learning experiences.
shall be developed and disseminated to all 2. Balance in terms of allocating sufficient time for
stakeholders. learning and teaching opportunities, as well as
7. Medium of instruction – English shall be the
opportunities for students to engage in healthy
medium of instruction at secondary school.
recreational activities.
8. Discipline policy – guidelines on discipline shall
be revised and disseminated to all stakeholders. 3. Relevance in terms of linking what and how
9. Bursary policy – government and the private students learn at school to their daily lives and the
sector shall provide bursary to all needy students world of work
to enable them access secondary education 4. Integration of teaching, learning and assessment
10. Teacher deployment policy – deployment of to ensure a systematic process of each student
teachers shall be based on the establishment of using what is learned to achieve their maximum
each institution. potential.
11. Public Private Partnership Policy – private 5. Progression systematically built into each
investment in public secondary education shall be syllabus in terms of the increasing complexity of
encouraged. knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that
12. Repetition policy – repetition at secondary school students acquire as they proceed through
shall be strongly discouraged.
secondary school education
13. Selection and admission policy – selection to
secondary schools shall be based on merit. 6. Differentiation in teaching, learning and
14. Open secondary schools – secondary schools assessment in terms of taking into account the full
shall be encouraged to run open secondary schools range of each students’ abilities so as to build on
where feasible under clear guidance from MoEST these abilities, thus enabling each student to
through MCDE. realize their potential, while promoting inclusive
15. Double shift schools – double shifting for education.
secondary schools that are adequately equipped
shall be promoted to increase access.
16. Cost-sharing policy – community shall be
involved in the maintenance and rehabilitation of
infrastructure and provision of teaching and
learning resources.

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The developmental structure of Malawi’s
curriculum

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