This paper interrogates the questions of what we are assessing internationally, for what purpose and why, in our assessments including school leaving examinations. What type of citizen, learner and hence examinations and assessment systems do European and global societies want and need? Almost a quarter of the way into the 21^st Century, it is time to reflect upon the progress made in terms of what are the requirements for learning and the assessment thereof in the 21^st Century?  How do we re-engineer assessment creatively within a changing and technologically demanding environment and how do we adapt our approaches realistically in the case of “emergencies” such as a pandemic? These are significant questions facing our education systems currently.

Educators internationally have had to rethink their modes of teaching and learning. Policymakers and education authorities during the pandemic found it difficult to keep schools functioning and to implement international comparative assessments, national systemic tests and examinations. In the current climate, traditional modes for examinations may be perceived as being restrictive and increasingly challenged in terms of their fitness of purpose in a rapidly evolving global world. Rethinking and re-imagining the nature and content of assessments is required for stimulating quality education. Furthermore, a growing need for the education in areas previously perceived as ‘soft skills’ is evident, requiring an increased emphasis on values, active citizenry and the centrality of ethics and integrity and their role. International agencies and coalitions have driven efforts to design and develop international assessments targeting some of these skills. These ‘soft skills’, whilst challenging to measure and assess, provide some of the answers to the requirements in the 21^st Century for active citizenship, learning to learn, managing, and evaluating information, relating to people, problem-solving, critical thinking and inter-cultural communication.  Evidently, inter-disciplinary skills are essential for 21st Century problem solving, ICT operations and concepts, communication, collaboration, and information literacy and several of these skills require citizens (and learners) to be technically and technologically literate and agile. This paper will discuss what role assessments and exit examinations of School-leaving qualifications internationally can and should play in meeting the needs of Europe and beyond and how education researchers can contribute to the improvement of the quality of education given the realities globally?

Sarah Howie is the Director of the Africa Centre for Scholarship, and Director of Unit for International Credentialling at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She is also Professor of Education at the Centre for Higher and Adult Education, Faculty of Education. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. She served as the Deputy Chair of the Board of the South African Qualifications Authority (2015-2020); is member of the Assessment and Standards Committee at Umalusi (the National Quality Assurance Body for School-level qualifications) and member of the Universities South Africa Admissions Committee. She is the Chair of the Board of Coronation Foundation Trustees.

NW9 Keynote presentation

NW9 Keynote presentation

NW9 Keynote presentation