By A Correspondent- Government has greenlighted the return of the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) Ordinary and Advanced Level June examinations that were suspended in 2021 following disruptions caused by Covid-19 and the resulting lockdown.
The decision to suspend the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council June examinations arose from the delays in sitting the public examinations at the end of 2020 and the alterations of the 2021 standard calendar for education.
Government has also maintained its 55 percent subsidy on the examination fee for all non-private candidates in public schools.
Zimsec announced that candidates sitting for the June 2022 Ordinary level examinations in public schools will pay US$11 with Government subsidising the cost by US$24.
Private candidates in public schools will pay US$24. For Advanced Level, candidates in public schools are expected to pay US$22 with private ones in public schools forking out US$48.
Zimsec said the examination fees are also payable in local currency at interbank rate, which will be prevailing between 8-15 March.
Zimsec spokesperson Ms Nicky Dlamini confirmed the latest development.
Yes, the June exams are back, as you know their suspension was as a result of a surge in Covid-19 cases, but now that the situation is under control, we are able to conduct the June examinations,” she said.
The return of the June examinations comes on the backdrop of serious malpractices during the November 2022 examinations that saw a number of candidates, teachers and some school heads being nabbed for cheating.
The menace led to arrests and subsequent prosecutions of those involved with some teachers and heads being convicted and jailed.
Upon release of the 2022 Ordinary Level examinations last week, Zimsec announced that 4 961 candidates out of the 278 760 that wrote the examinations had their results nullified for having pre-access to the examination papers.
The nullification of results said Zimsec was in conformity with the Section 34 of the Zimsec Act.
The last June examinations written in 2020 had 54 645 candidates who sat for their Ordinary Level compared to 75 055 candidates in 2019, translating to a 27,19 percent decrease. A total of 3 501 candidates who sat for five or more subjects, 627 passed with grade C or better while the national Ordinary Level pass rate was 17,91 percent.
There were 5 058 Advanced level candidates in 2020 compared to 5 923 who wrote the previous year with 1 769 out of 2 638 writing two or more subjects and obtaining a Grade E or better in two or more subjects, translating to a 67,06 percent pass rate.
Meanwhile, Zimsec said candidates who feel aggrieved with their examination mark have a right to appeal to the examination body for a remark upon payment of a US$20 or equivalent appeal fee per subject.
The appeal, according to Zimsec, must be submitted through and supported by the school head where the said examination paper was written.
“Request for remark should be submitted through and supported by the school head where the candidate wrote examinations. The cost is US$20 or the equivalent per subject, and request for remark should be made within 42 days of publication of results,” wrote Zimsec on their official Twitter page.
Grade Seven results for the 2022 examinations were released on November 30 while the 2022 Advanced Level results were released 28 days ago.
Both “O” and “A” level candidates whose results were released last Friday are still within the appeal window.
A total of 36 945 sat for the 2022 “A” level examinations, recording a 88 percent pass rate while a total of 278 760 candidates sat for November 2022 “O” level Exams recording a 28,96 percent pass rate.
— Chronicle