388,331 2018 make it to grade 8

All the 388,331 candidates who sat for the Grade 7 examinations have been selected to grade 8, bringing the national progression rate to 100 percent from 99.14 recorded in 2017.

Minister of General Education David Mabumba says the improvement in the national progression rate is an indication that school places have been created at secondary school level.

Mr Mabumba says out of the 388,442 candidates that sat for the 2018 grade seven examinations, 239,024 candidates obtained divisions, 1, 2 and 3 representing 61.53 of the total candidates that sat the examination.

Announcing the results at a media briefing, Mr. Mabumba says 149,307 candidates obtained division 4.

Mr. Mabumba notes that there has been a steady increase in the number of female candidates entering as well as sitting the examination attributing this to the interventions the Ministry of General Education and other stakeholders have put in place to bring and retain the girl child in school.

And the minister has assured Zambians that his Ministry will remain committed to the infrastructure development programme to ensure the attainment of universal primary education.

And Mr. Mabumba expressed concern that 55,258 candidates were absent from the examinations.

He says the national absenteeism rate was 12.45 percent, representing an increase of 3.40 percent, from 9.05 percent recorded in 2017, while the number of girls that were absent from the examination in the 2017 and 2018 is higher than that of boys.

Speaking at the same briefing, Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary Felix Phiri is confident that the early announcement of the results will enable parents and guardians to plan and budget adequately for their children’s education going into 2019.

Meanwhile Examinations Council of Zambia Director Dr. Michael Chilala says the council is proud that they are now able to export examinations abroad.