The Sunday Mail
Ordinary Level examination candidates will not re-sit Mathematics Paper One, which leaked in Gweru last week, as the security breach did not affect the entire country, an official has said.
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said the association and education authorities took the decision at a meeting in Harare.
Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Professor Paul Mavhima referred further inquires to the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec).
Zimsec director Mr Esau Nhandara, in turn, told The Sunday Mail that he would provide written responses.
However, he had not responded by late yesterday afternoon.
Mr Ndlovu said: “The paper leaked at a very small centre and only a few candidates were affected. Therefore, we and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education resolved that there was no need for candidates to re-sit the examination.”
Most candidates were apprehensive about resitting Mathematics Paper One after authorities discovered it had been leaked.
Two teachers, a cook, a school head and his deputy were arrested after being linked to the case and are expected to appear in court soon.
They allegedly intercepted a sealed envelope containing examination papers and allegedly copied the questions and sold them to candidates.
An informant later blew the whistle after discovering one of them conducting a transaction.
Mr Ndlovu said Zimta and the parent ministry were investigating the case.
“We are carrying out investigations on whether the suspects are qualified teachers. Their actions show that they are people ignorant about the norms that teachers should uphold as far as national examinations are concerned.
“A real teacher will be scared of losing their qualification over petty issues like leaking an examination paper. So, my verdict is that their action is a result of bogus teachers or those teachers who were removed from other schools over criminal behaviour.
“We also advise schools to follow procedure and let the right people handle examination papers. This lowers the risk of examination paper leaks.”
