Despite increase in pass rates, ZIMSEC losing credibility- says ARTUZ

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) says despite the rising pass rates, the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC) is slowly losing its credibility.

The teachers body maintains that this is due to leakages and corruption.

“Despite the marginal increase in pass rates , Zimsec is slowly losing its credibility due to wide scale leakage of exams and corruption.

“This is because elites are neglecting the national examination body because their children are being educated under Cambridge,” says ARTUZ.

Meanwhile, ZIMSEC has dispelled reports that the November 2022 O Level examinations have been cancelled.

In a statement on Tuesday, 17 January, ZIMSEC said it is finalising the processes preceding the release of the results.

It also said those candidates who had access to exam papers before they were written were identified during the writing of the examinations and also at the marking of scripts stage and their examination results cancelled. Part of the statement reads:

There have been false reports circulating on social media, particularly from a ZIMSEC parody (false) Twitter account and an online publication, Afrogazette, purporting that the Ordinary level results have been cancelled.

We haven’t issued any statements on the pass rate of the 2022 O Level Examination candidates or cancellation of results.

These reports are published in mischief to cause anxiety and unrest amongst candidates and parents.

We advise all stakeholders to disregard these speculative attempts to cause panic and despondency and await official updates from ZIMSEC.

We are in the process of finalising the assessment of 2022 Ordinary Level performance and have completed the marking.

The processes which precede the release of the results are currently underway.

ZIMSEC added that the results will be announced at the appropriate time when all the processes have been completed. It said:

Our stakeholders are called upon to expect the release of results to deserving candidates when all necessary processes have been completed.

We wish to thank the public and all our stakeholders for their interest and cooperation in ensuring the integrity of our examination system.