Preparations on progress

The Primary School National Test has been fixed on 27th May 2014 and meanwhile pupils as well as teachers are very busy preparing the test. All the scheduled programs are already finished. The main concern of teachers and pupils from the sixth form is to review quizzes as the national test will be done on 27th May 2014.-By Diane Uwimana

Pupils from Primary School Ngagara Q3 playing on the school playground ©Iwacu

“Thanks to Minister for having announced the date of the national test very early, this helps us to be prepared in advance,” says Dany Clairia Ingabire, from the Ngagara Primary school Q3. The same thought is shared with her colleague Lang Edgar Isabwe. “We have finished the program since the end of April, now we are doing various exercises seriously on different courses that we are going to do in the national test,” says Isabwe. Felicule Fukamusenge, a teacher at Ngagara Primary school Q3 indicates that the review quizzes are going on. “The courses in the programs have been completed since March and we are step by step working hard to be ready until the exact day of the national test,” underlines Fukamusenge. She mentions that English and Swahili courses are taught like other branches in class even though they won’t be done in the national test. The same points of view that pupils have completed their courses have been highlighted by other teachers met at the Primary Schools of Stella Matutina and Ngagara Q5.

“The commission in charge of national test is also getting ready”

The budget allotted to the next national test has been reduced to an amount estimated at BIF 95.476.934 comparing to the last year’s test. “This is due to the economic situation of the country”, notes Abraham Mbonerane, President of the Commission organizing the national test, 2014 edition. It is worth underlining that the commission has examined strategies to cope with the routine to the situation: «the commission focuses on the reduction of long distances to go for monitoring. Teachers will come from schools near the test centres.” The number of distance will be reduced from 106,351 km to 56.851 Km.
Moreover, he indicates that instead of 1,008 vehicles, the commission intends to use 397 requisitioned in provinces, 245 will be hired in Bujumbura City Council and 53 from different Provinces.
Mbonerane indicates that only presidents of different test centres will move with boxes of test copies with security agents.
It is worth noting that this year, 213. 021 schoolchildren are expected to do the national test. However, adds Mbonerane, this figure can differ because the commission continues to receive other candidates from some private schools.
Finally, there will be 8.705 supervisors, 1.244 test centres and 3.636 rooms all over the country.