BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
The latest Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC) exam results have raised eyebrows, with a significant number of students missing the exams and a surprisingly low pass rate.
According to Professor Paul Mapfumo, ZIMSEC board chairperson, 1 938 out of 32 026 registered O-Level candidates were absent, resulting in six percent absentee rate.
But that’s not all – the overall pass rate was alarmingly low, with only 4.44% of candidates who sat for five or more O-Level subjects passing with a Grade C or better.
And at the A-Level, a mere 31.67% of candidates who wrote two or more subjects obtained Grade E or better.
While there was a slight increase in O-Level participation, A-Level participation took a significant hit, with only 120 out of 144 registered candidates taking the exams.
However, there was a notable increase in candidates with special needs, from 14 to 38.
The results are now available online, but learners without a Continuous Assessment Learning Area (CALA) mark will not receive their results, even if they wrote the theoretical part of the exams.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s position is that if a candidate does not have a CALA mark, then there will be no results even if the theoretical part of the examination was written.” Mapfumo said during a press conference in Harare.
