The effects of 100% grade seven progression rate policy on learners in secondary schools in Kitwe district, Zambia

Abstract

The Republic of Zambia has since 2018 adopted a policy where all seventh grade learners are allowed to proceed to grade eight regardless of their performance in the grade seven national examination. However, the lack of an empirical evaluation of this policy to ascertain the perception of teachers, learners, parents and head teachers and its effect on the learners’ academic performance prompted the need for this study. This study aimed to assess the grade seven to grade eight 100% progression policy among selected schools in Kitwe. The study adopted the exploratory research design and the qualitative research approach. Individual and focus group interviews were used to collect primary data from a sample of eighty-nine purposefully sampled participants among selected secondary schools in Kitwe on the Copperbelt of Zambia. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis in MAXQDA software. The findings of this study revealed that the perceptions of the grade seven 100% progression policy were associated with lower quality of education due to overcrowded classrooms and pressure on teachers to pass all learners. Low-achieving learners who were promoted to higher grades despite their low academic performance had lower self-esteem and faced learning challenges. The findings further revealed that the policy widened the gap between high and low achievers, with low achievers falling further behind as they struggled to keep up with the pace of the curriculum. The policy had a negative impact on the overall academic performance of learners, increasing the number of grade nine dropouts and external candidates.