JOB-READY GRADUATES OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN BOTSWANA, LESOTHO AND ZAMBIA Reforming Instruction, Curriculum, Assessment, and Structure to Teach Vocational and 21st Century Skills Andreas Blom, Xiaonan Cao, Harisoa Andriamihamina, Iyioluwa Teleola Akinlawon Rationale for job-ready secondary graduates particularly those not proceeding to a univer- sity education, would benefit from improved vocational graduates skills to successfully transition to the world of works. Education remains one of the best investment decisions an individual or country can make. However, there is ev- idence of growing challenges relating to the transition How can these 21st century skills from secondary education to work. Secondary education be adopted by secondary education produces too many graduates who end up unemployed graduates? or economically inactive. There are 450,000 out-of-school 1. Teacher Instruction youth with secondary education who are unemployed in 2. Curricula and Assessments Botswana, Lesotho, and Zambia. In Botswana, Lesotho 3. Structure of Education and Zambia, respectively, 34 percent (87,000), 34 percent (70,000) and 19 percent (302,000) of young graduates are unemployed. Teacher instruction To understand the current state of instruction in Botswa- Secondary education, however, is expected to continue na, Lesotho and Zambia, the methodology consisted of a to expand in the future, with the potential to add addi- total of 18 classroom observations in 6 secondary schools tional youth to the current ranks of unemployed second- per country and indicators were rated on a scale of 1 (not ary education graduates. By 2030, four of five workers evident) to 4 (extremely evident). Therefore, the sample in Botswana and 33% of Lesotho workers are expected is not nationally representative. However, the sample and to have secondary education. The writing on the wall is the consistency of the results give a clear indication of clear: Graduates of secondary education must be better what is happening in classrooms across Botswana, Leso- prepared for the world of work. If not, challenges associ- tho and Zambia. These indicators include: ated with youth unemployment will balloon. Instructional findings Key reason for low level of job- Instruction in all classrooms observed across all three countries was generally teacher centered. The teaching readiness technique observed is traditional, with a strong focus on From employer surveys in Botswana, Lesotho and Zam- lecturing wherein most of the talking is done by teachers. bia, employers rated 21st century skills, (as defined in box below) highest for job-seekers (Figure on next page). Employers are looking for practical skills and relevant job Teamwork, collaboration and active experience. Therefore, graduates from secondary educa- learning tion must demonstrate 21st century skills in addition to There is no evidence that the pedagogy in the three foundational skills to be job-ready. Further, a sub-set of countries strengthens teamwork. Students work alone, 1 Job-Ready Graduates of Secondary Education in Botswana, Lesotho and Zambia 2 do not seek support from other students or the teacher, Evidence of Teamwork Activities they generally do not challenge their peers and do not provide constructive feedback to one another. They gen- Students seated in groups erally do not challenge their peers and do not provide S. engage academic constructive feedback to one another. dialogue with other S. S. ask questions and seek support Critical thinking S. think “out loud” The pedagogy does not foster critical thinking. While during learning,... teachers in all three countries observed, asked open S. provide feedback to other S. ended questions, most answers to these questions re- quired only memorized responses regarding specific S. challenge, debate peers and teacher facts. In addition, teachers tend give answers to students’ S. take on varied questions instead of pushing them further with guiding responsibilities questions to foster analysis and critical thinking. Students T. organizes S. into heterogeneous groups do not try, and are not encouraged, to investigate other T. encourages to strategies to find solutions to problems. solve group problems 0 1 2 3 4 Technology Lesotho Botswana Zambia While the setup of the classroom environment allows for the acquisition of basic learning it is insufficient to Source: Authors, based on classroom observation data from NJCTL, 2017. Ranking of Skills Rated as Very Important and Crucial for Skilled Workers by Employers 91% 91% 89% 88% 85% 84% 81% 75% 75% 73% 71% 70% 70% 70% 68% 69% 65% 63% 63% 62% 60% 59% 59% 56% 55% 55% 51% 49% 49% 47% 47% 46% 43% 42% 42% 41% 39% 37% 37% 35% 33% 28% 24% 22% 15% 10% 9% Reiability and punctuality Perseverence Honesty and trustworthiness Customer care skills Learn effectively Team working skills Communication skills Ability to work independently Practical knowledge of job Previous work experience Problem solving skills Literacy skills Self-management Planning and organizing skills Personal appearance Basic math skills ICT Vocational job-specific skills Grades and transcripts Foreign language Lesotho Botswana Zambia Source: World Bank 2015 for Botswana and World Bank 2017 for Zambia. Job-Ready Graduates of Secondary Education in Botswana, Lesotho and Zambia 3 Problem Solving and Critical Thinking in Botswana, Technology is not in the Classroom Yet in Botswana, Lesotho, and Zambia Lesotho, and Zambia Reference materials 4 for students Resources for dem., manip., exper. 3 S. manage instructional time and complete assignments S. persist in learning and prob. 2 solving when “stuck” S. multiple strategies to solve problems T. encourages S. to use 1 all available resources to solve prob. T. praises efforts – not just answers 0 T. encourages S. to Wi-Fi Technology Materials Resources Reference Students take risks and fail during for dem., materials seated small group manip. , for students in groups 0 1 2 3 4 activities exper. Lesotho Botswana Zambia Lesotho Botswana Zambia Source: Authors, based on classroom observation data from NJCTL, 2017. Source: Authors, based on classroom observation data from NJCTL, 2017. facilitate the inculcation of 21st century skills. significant Curricula and assessments structure challenges were evident regarding the learning environ- Curricula and assessments in all three countries are struc- ment, including a lack of Wi-Fi, and a general absence of tured to allow students to develop competencies in read- appropriate technology, learning materials and resources ing and, to a lesser extent, writing. However, curricula in for demonstration and experimentation, as well as refer- Lesotho, Zambia and Botswana present little evidence of ence materials. interdisciplinary problem solving, teamwork, initiative/ Average Score of Curriculum and Assessment Indicators for the Three Countries 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0 Reading Writing Listening/ Problem Teamwork Initiative/ Self-Management Learning Technology Speaking Solving Entrepreneurship Lesotho Botswana Zambia Source: Authors, based on classroom observation data from NJCTL, 2017. Job-Ready Graduates of Secondary Education in Botswana, Lesotho and Zambia 4 entrepreneurship, self-management, learning, and tech- track for junior secondary, and a comprehensive track for nology. The curricula reviewed do not expect students to senior secondary education. The introduction of a mul- learn how to choose among technologies nor use tech- tiple pathway model not only facilitates a quicker transi- nology to identify or to solve problems. tion from schooling to employment, but also serves to reduce the wasting of student’s time and government Structure of secondary education resources. It would ensure that student don’t have to Zambia recently introduced a vocational and academic perform sub-optimally, or fail in academic education educational track in junior and senior secondary schools, before embarking on a vocational qualification, and en- which would provide students with sufficient opportuni- sures that the preparation of students for tertiary educa- ties to develop technical and vocational skills. Botswana tion would be focused on those who would further their and Lesotho, on the other hand, only have an academic education. General Recommendations Zambia Specific Recommendations Governments consider working with teachers and school Making the curriculum more relevant to the labor market directors to initiate a national debate on teaching needs. Create necessary modifications of the new curriculum to style, followed by a teacher in-service training program strengthen its relevance through further consultation with the to improve instructional practice and encourage more active, industry. collaborative, and exploratory learning on the part of students. All the countries accelerate the implementation of Improving pedagogy to teach 21st century skills effectively. competency-based curriculum that fully specify 21st While the effort in helping teachers’ mastery of subject content century skills as learning objectives, including self- knowledge needs to be continued, the emphasis should be put more management, entrepreneurship, team-work and problem solving. on modernizing and upgrading their pedagogical skills based on the In turn, the curriculum should de-emphasize rote memorization of requirements of 21st century skills. knowledge. The countries should complement the national written Scaling up the multiple pathways for senior secondary exams with an element of school based assessments education. The multiple pathway approach will equip secondary of skills and competencies. Instruction, curriculum, and education graduates with practical skills, especially technical and assessment must all be aligned and focused on the development vocational skills, in addition to the traditionally-expected academic and acquisition of 21st century skills. If the assessments are not skills, to make them job-ready for the labor market. changed, the students and teacher are unlikely to focus on these broader 21st century skills. The report strongly supports the education strategies Increasing access to secondary education, especially in rural of the governments of Botswana, Lesotho, and Zambia areas and for girls. More investment is needed to provide youth to introduce or scale-up the combined vocational more opportunities for secondary education, as labor market studies and academic pathway in secondary education. It is in the country shows that those who completed secondary education recommended that a combined pathway provide a rigorous have high employment rate. academic foundation to facilitate tertiary studies, if the student so desires, while concurrently developing certified technical skills and presenting opportunities for students to accrue job training through internships. Focusing more on learning outcome through more analysis, communication, and action plans on learning outcomes. There could be national-, provincial-, and school-level plans built upon analysis of past learning outcomes and aiming at explicit measurable improvements in learning outcomes (foundational skills as well as the whole range of the 21st century skills).