Harare – In a determined effort to restore integrity to the nation’s education system, the Cabinet has approved the Zimbabwe School Examination Council Act [Chapter 28:18] (Amendment Bill, 2024). This legislative move comes in response to growing concerns over examination leakages and fraudulent practices that have plagued the sector in recent years.
The last reported examination leakage occurred in 2022, when five Ordinary Level (O’Level) examination papers were compromised. However, the government is determined to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.
During Tuesday’s post-Cabinet briefing, Information Minister Jenfan Muswere outlined the bill’s objectives. “The Zimbabwe School Examinations Amendment Bill, 2024, therefore has, inter alia, the following objectives: streamlining Board functions to provide for the deregistration of non-compliant examination centres; strengthening the operational efficiency of the Board; and reviewing penalties for examination malpractices. More critically, it eliminates leakages across all examination centres,” said Muswere.
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo, has warned that those caught leaking examination papers or impersonating candidates will face severe consequences, including lengthy jail sentences.
“To address this mischief explains why we had to come up with this bill and how we are going to deal decisively with this mischief, according to Section 141 of the Constitution, the general public will decide on the penalties as they make submissions to the bill, but what we are proffering as a solution is imprisonment to the culprits practicing this malpractice,” said Moyo.
Moyo indicated that the proposed penalties could be substantial. “In my view, we are likely to come up with penalties for leaking one paper, one might be imprisoned for a period that exceeds 9 years, so that it becomes a deterrent measure to those who may want to practice that criminal act,” he stated. He also warned that “Another malpractice is impersonation, where somebody would masquerade as a bona fide candidate writing an examination for another person. Those caught will also face the same music to go to jail.”
Moyo further cautioned that examination centres found to be complicit in malpractices would face deregistration.
The approval of the ZIMSEC Amendment Bill follows a historic milestone for Zimbabwe’s education system. The 2024 Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) Grade 7, Ordinary, and Advanced Level examinations were conducted without any incidents of paper leakages. This achievement stands in stark contrast to the recurring scandals of previous years.
Education stakeholders, including Zimsec, the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph), and the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash), have hailed the development as a testament to enhanced governance, improved security, and collaborative efforts among schools and examination authorities.
However, the road to this achievement has been paved with numerous challenges. Over the years, Zimbabwe’s examination system has been plagued by controversies that undermined its credibility.
A Timeline of Examination Scandals:
- 2017: Massive O-Level Paper Leak: Ordinary Level Mathematics and English examination papers were leaked and widely circulated on social media. The scandal implicated school officials and invigilators, forcing Zimsec to reschedule examinations for thousands of candidates.
- 2019: Arrests Over Advanced Level Cheating: Several individuals, including teachers and students, were arrested for leaking Advanced Level Biology and Chemistry papers. The incident led to public outcry over Zimsec’s failure to secure examination materials.
- 2020: Pandemic-Year Paper Fraud: The disruption caused by COVID-19 saw an increase in reported examination irregularities. Teachers and administrators at multiple schools were caught selling examination papers to desperate students and parents.
- 2021: Invigilators Implicated: Grade 7 Mathematics and English papers were leaked, resulting in the arrest of invigilators and headmasters. The scandal raised questions about internal security measures at examination centres.
- 2022: Advanced Level Exam Rewrite: After several Advanced Level exam papers were leaked, Zimsec was forced to order a rewrite for thousands of candidates, sparking protests and logistical chaos. The credibility of Zimbabwe’s examination system was heavily criticised both domestically and internationally.
In 2022, teachers’ unions attributed the ZIMSEC examination leakages to “structural and ethical decay.” The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) pointed to a “rotten education system and poor remuneration” as major contributors to the problem. ARTUZ president, Obert Masaraure, lambasted the education system and government for contributing to the leaks, stating, “The ZIMSEC exam papers scandal is a reflection of the structural and ethical decay developing in our education system as a result of bad salaries and leadership in both government and the education sector. Bad salaries breed desperate workers, who then resort to corruption as a way to survive.”
Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) president, Takavafira Zhou, echoed these sentiments, stating that the ZIMSEC board was no longer credible to run examinations. “Credibility of the ZIMSEC board is now in tatters. There is a clear lack of professionalism. We want all children to write examinations which haven’t been leaked so that we measure their real potential,” said Zhou.
