Education experts from sixteen African countries are devising a common examination and grading system.

This was disclosed yesterday at the opening ceremony of a week-long annual conference of the Association for Education Assessment in Africa (AEAA) at Hotel Serena, Kigali.

The State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Joseph Murekeraho, who officiated at the opening function called for a harmonised African education curriculum.

"Together we must exploit and respond to opportunities like the trend in globalisation and emerging regional groupings and integration,” Murekeraho said.

He said that since at one time all Commonwealth countries were following the same, syllabus with common exams and that some countries still do the same, then it’s possible to exercise it.

Murekeraho urged that Examining Boards in conjunction with curriculum development centres should propose common curriculum in at least core subjects agreed upon by different countries.

"Why should different countries use different grading systems that are subject to misinterpretation and hindrance to meet universities’ entry requirements in different countries?” he asked.

"Harmonising examination grading or education systems in Africa is still a concept. But I think this conference will leave a significant impact,” said John Rutayisire, the Executive Secretary of Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC).

The struggle to have other African countries to join AEAA with an aim of having an integrated education system still continues, said Dr Njabuliso G Dlamini, the president of AEAA.

Currently, AEAA member countries are Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Others are Gambia, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Liberia. The UK finances their activities. Ends