The Ministry of Education’s decision to enforce a resolution by the 2020 Leadership Retreat that discontinued automatic promotion has left more than 60,000 PLE and 0’Level students unable to progress to the next grade.

This means the students will have to repeat their school year for the second time if you are to consider the time lost during school closures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision has split public opinion with some people wondering whether the merit-based reform will necessarily lead to improved performance. Others pointed at the timing of the policy shift given the impact of Covid on education and students, while some have backed the move citing anticipated long-term impact on the labour market.

While there may be a few legitimate questions around the timing of the implementation of the decision, it looks like officials at the ministry were not ready for the next Retreat to take place before enforcing the resolution.

Yet, given the situation of the last one year or so, it is clear that the Ministry of Education did not have an opportunity or enough time to actively engage stakeholders about the impending termination of automatic promotion, a policy which had been in place for a decade. That partly explains why many people were caught off-guard by the development.

Now, in trying to manage the situation and better prepare students for future examinations, the Minister for Education this week announced that all primary and secondary schools will now be required to dedicate five hours a week to what is called ‘remedial teaching’. This is an arrangement in which teachers intentionally create time to help slow learners grasp new concepts and complicated topics so they are not left behind. But education officials reckon this would not result in increasing teaching hours.

This is a noble cause and it should have long been part of the country’s education system. Nonetheless, to successfully implement it you need to get buy-in and active support, especially from schools and teachers because they are the key implementers. They are the ones who will be required to improvise and create the required time for remedial teaching, while at the same time ensuring that the curricula is covered accordingly.

There is a need for broad consultation involving both schools and representatives of teachers. Only through this can the new policy be fully embraced, which would ultimately help deliver the desired outcome.