The Herald
Saturday 14 March 2009
Herald Reporter
THE Government has directed that the 2009 Lower Six classes officially begin on Tuesday next week with the selection of candidates being based on last year’s mid-year mock examination results.
In a statement yesterday, the Secretary for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Dr Stephen Mahere, said the candidates should have passed at least five Ordinary Level subjects in the mock examinations.
“The Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture would like to inform all high schools, parents and responsible authorities that the 2009 Lower Six classes will officially commence on Tuesday, 17 March 2009.
“Heads of high schools should note that selection will be based on continuous assessment (for example use of mid-term examination results) of candidates who should, in this regard, possess at least five ‘O’ Level subjects of grade C or better including English,” he said.
Dr Mahere said preference should be given to candidates who completed their “O” Levels in 2008. “Those who completed their ‘O’ Levels before 2008 may be considered only after the 2008 candidates have been accounted for,” he added.
Dr Mahere said limited boarding facilities should be reserved for deserving candidates such as those from rural schools. He reminded schools that candidates with physical disabilities deserved special consideration.
“Those candidates who have acceptable grades and viable subject combinations but fail to secure places should report to provincial education offices for assistance,” Dr Mahere said.
He advised candidates to take career-oriented subjects chosen according to the traditional classifications, namely sciences, humanities, commercials and vocational or technical subjects.
“Places for successful candidates will only be reserved by schools up to Tuesday, 24 March 2009. School fees and levies will be paid on a pro rata basis according to the length of the Lower Six first term,” Dr Mahere said.
“If students receive lower grades once their results are published, then they may be declined a place in the school. Likewise, those students who may have been refused a place based on the continuous assessment results but who obtain acceptable minimum ‘O’ Level results may be offered a place when their results are published,” Dr Mahere said.
He pleaded with schools to co-operate with the directive.
The delay in the release of the “O” Level results arose from an industrial action by markers who were demanding payment in foreign currency for their services.
The markers last month responded overwhelmingly to a call by Government for them to report for the second and final phase of marking after they were guaranteed payment in either US dollars or rands.
On Thursday Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart said 80 percent of both last year’s public examination scripts had now been marked.
Speaking on the ZTV programme Face the Nation, Minister Coltart said: “Good progress has been made inasfar as the marking of the examination papers is concerned. The markers have almost completed the exercise and most of them should be returning to their stations and homes in the next 24 hours.”
He said the ministry was working closely with the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council in grading and printing the results
“In view of the delays that we envisage in the release of examination results, we have thus directed headmasters to start taking students for Lower Sixth classes.
“Our big concern is the ‘A’ Level results because we know that some students want to proceed to university and they will need the results. We are trying our level best to have the results out as early as possible,” he said.