The Zim government on Monday launched an Electronic Learner’s Licence Testing System and promises this is a way of eradicating corruption at the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID).
The internet based system entails that prospective drivers do not need to bring licence photographs anymore, and marking is now being done automatically upon completion of the test.
The last governments software to be introduced was the Grade 7 to form one application which eventually flopped. ZimEye in this article reveals there are loopholes inherent inside the drivers license system, way before it is not launched.
Speaking while announcing the new system which was developed under the Zimbabwe Integrated Transport Management Information System (ZIMTIS), Transport Minister Joel Biggie Matiza said: “The security features inherent in the ELLTS also guarantees that fake provisional drivers’ licences and drivers’ licences are eliminated.
The system enhances accountability by having added features for audit trails. The testing software has a bank of more than 1 000 questions, which are randomly selected by the computer.
Therefore, students can never predict which questions they are going to receive and the grading is done as soon as a student completes the final question.
This not only cuts down on waiting time but also prevents any kind of corruption between the students and the official on duty, who might accept bribes for passing a student, when they actually failed.”
BUT HOW WILL IT WORK?
The software relies on the internet for it to function and another complication is that of electricity supply which in recent years has been unreliable meaning that the system will make it difficult for there to be continuous testing.
Another problem is that of identification. How does the system prevent students from getting someone else to take their test for them?
ZimEye found that the following is still hanging on the drawing board: a web camera that will take a picture of the student at the beginning of the test and then again every 4 or 5 questions to make sure they don’t swap places with another person.
There is neither a fingerprint scanner which should require the learner to scan their fingerprints every 4 or 5 questions. With these identification features added to the learner’s testing terminals, the system should prove incredibly difficult to cheat, but at present, there is no facility for this.