By Dr Takavafira Zhou
The greatest challenge with the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo, is his penchant to rush to make pronouncement without adequate research and consultation of important stakeholders such as candidates who take the examinations, teachers who teach in schools, parents who pay school fees, industries that employ products of the education system and the general populace in Zimbabwe. Research will assist in benchmarking Zimsec with other examination boards, nationally, regionally, continentally and globally. Decisions in the 21st century must be a product of research and engagement of important stake holders rather than homiletic bellicose and expediency. The honest truth is that Zimsec has lost credibility because it is riddled from top to bottom.
Examination leakages have become routine rather than episodic, management of examinations is shambolic, some personnel lack competency and ethics needed to work at Zimsec, necessary equipment such as printing and sealing machines that can assist in minimising leakages are in short supply, while security at the centre where samples of examination question papers are kept in Norton is lackadaisical as some people can virtually walk in by virtue of their seniority and load question papers on a memory stick and walk out freely. Zimsec is also poorly funded by the government and can’t attract and pay the best markers. More often than not markers are not even paid for the whole year after completing marking. As of now Zimsec is running examinations through hap-hazardous muddling and meddling through with examination papers printed elsewhere by even unprofessional people, sealing of envelopes containing examination papers shoddily done, packing of papers done by unprofessional personnel tempted to access shoddily or unsealed envelopes containing examination papers.
There are therefore several areas that have compromised the credibility of Zimsec examinations, particularly the privacy, confidentiality and distribution of examination materials, let alone the rigour and relevance of examination questions, and marking of such important examinations by angry and hungry teachers that compromise professionalism and quality of marking.
The honest truth is that Zimsec as a board has sunk to low levels forcing many candidates to prefer writing Cambridge examinations that are more expensive, but credible. The move by the Ministry, has more to do with forcing candidates to come back to rescucitate a sinking examination board through examination fees, but without providing the best service or worthy for the money paid. The best that should be done is executing a professional and credibility hygiene at Zimsec so as to improve service. Worse still elite politicians (Ministers, Mps), business people and cartels are in the forefront in sending their kids to private and international schools within Zimbabwe that do not write Zimsec examinations or neighbouring countries and abroad. Is the new policy not an attempt to execute a two tier system where children of the general populace in Zimbabwe will write Zimsec in order to produce subject people and elites’ children in international schools in Zimbabwe would be allowed to continue to write cambridge in order to produce rulers who will preside over our children in future? It is my humble submission that the government must focus on investing in Zimsec, rebranding and restoring its credibility rather than adopting a commandist approach. A credible Zimsec will attract clients and judiciously carry its mandate.
Venceremos
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou, Ptuz President
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