ABU DHABI // Government efforts to end the need for remedial English and maths courses for most students entering federal universities have had a minimal effect so far, according to results for the UAE's university entrance examination released yesterday. They show little change from last year's scores. Maths results fell slightly from last year's results; marks in English remained steady. Experts said the scores indicated a need for more radical changes in the country's secondary schools.
The vast majority of students have to enrol on a foundation course before starting their degree. Last year, 83 per cent of Zayed University students went through their bridge programme, which lasts up to 18 months. Requirements vary between universities. The Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (Cepa), is taken by all students applying to federal universities. It measures basic maths and literacy skills.
"We've seen improvements over the years, but it seems to me that in the last couple of years there really hasn't been much increase, if any, in proficiency across the board," said Dr Annie Brown, the associate director for assessment and professional development at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Dr Brown called for major public school reforms. "What we need now is a radical change to curriculum and to teaching methodology. If something like that doesn't happen then the universities are going to have this continuing problem of students not being ready to start their academic programmes."
Dr Bryan Gilroy, the assistant provost of enrolment management at Zayed University, said the poor performance across the board on the Cepa exam reflected badly on the primary and secondary school systems. "Basically, what it's saying is that even after 12 years of English the standard is not that high," Dr Gilroy said. Only 6.5 per cent (or 977 students out of nearly 15,000) scored 185 or above on Cepa English this year. Dr Gilroy said a score of 185 would roughly be the proficiency required to attend some American universities.
"It does say something about the curriculum, the teaching. It also says something about the students and the way they approach things like maths. If they are encouraged to do rote learning, then they are not understanding the mathematics at all; what they're understanding is what is the answer. If you change the question they don't know the answer." "There is quite a low level of numeracy among school leavers, as well," Dr Brown said, describing the Cepa maths exam as a "basic numeracy test". And yet, she said, "the average student is getting only 50 per cent correct. Just like literacy students need basic numeracy ? It's the basic mathematical skills that everyone needs in their normal lives."
She added: "I would say it's probably the sort of skills that students in lower secondary would be expected to have in England. That's why I think there needs to be some radical overhaul of the curriculum in the schools, and I say this because I know it applies to both maths and English, and so I assume it also applies to all subjects. Students seem to be being pushed through even though they're failing.
She noted "a disparity" between what students should have learned by a certain grade level and "what they can actually do". "If you look at the curriculum in Grade 12 and what students can actually do you wonder how students have got through that far and are failing that badly. How can students come out after 12 years of English and they can't write a sentence? Similarly, how can they come out after 12 years of maths and they can't add two basic fractions?"
The poor English and maths skills of graduates place a heavy burden on the university system. "A lot of time and resources [at universities] are put into preparing students for their core programmes rather than putting those resources into their core programmes," Dr Brown said. During the 2008-2009 academic year Zayed University spent about Dh40 million (US$11m) on its so-called bridge programme, comprised of remedial classes, about 20 per cent of its academic instructional budget.
Administrators say the money could be put to better use. "It is a significant problem for higher-education institutions," Dr Gilroy said, noting that the financial burden is significant. He said the situation is not ideal for students, either. "It does convert their higher-education experience from a four-year degree programme into a five- to five-and-a-half-year programme," he said. Nearly 15,000 students sat the Cepa examination this year, which is used for admission to the three federal universities - UAE University, Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology.
Just over 76 per cent of students, or 11,480 of them, passed the Cepa English examination with a score of 150 or above, qualifying for a foundation course in preparation for a degree or diploma programme. "If you get in with 150 it means that you could spend up to 18 months in a language programme," Dr Gilroy said. The average score on Cepa English was 160 - the same as last year - but the average maths score dropped by 10 points to 147.
Students can still be admitted to university if they fail Cepa maths, but passing English is obligatory. Dr Mark Drummond, the provost and chief academic officer at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said foundation courses were less of an issue at his institution, since it is not a research university. "We're fine with it. I do think if we had our choice we would say let's get all that education done in secondary school," he said, adding that he believes the Abu Dhabi government has the problem under control with its reform plan.
"My bet would be in five to seven years if that plan keeps moving ahead in Abu Dhabi emirate the need for foundations will be much less or completely go away. But you need that kind of plan and that kind of time and money." klewis@thenational.ae