Zimbabwe Telegraph
By GETRUDE GUMEDE
Published: June 12, 2009
ZIMBABWE-BULAWAYO-Zimbabwe recorded one of the worst Ordinary Level pass rate in the history of the country prompting the government to allow pupils who failed last year’s Ordinary Level examinations to continue with Lower Sixth lessons and write supplementary examinations Zimbabwe Telegraph Reports.
Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart said pupils who fail some of their O Levels have always been allowed to write supplementary examinations.
“They can continue with their Lower Sixth classes and write supplementary examinations but they will not be allowed to sit for their Advanced Level examinations until they attain five O Level passes,†said Senator Coltart.
Delays in the marking of O Level examination papers last year because of teacher’s strikes over poor remuneration saw O Level pupils proceeding to Lower Sixth form before their results were published.
Before government could establish the pass rate, Coltart was quoted in media reports saying pupils who failed to obtain five Olevel passes would be discontinued from Advanced Level to supplement their O Level passes.
However there has been a dramatic change of tone after government realised that Advanced Level classes would be left empty if government went a head with its stance of ejecting those who did not pass Ordinary Level from classes.
A high-ranking official in the Education sector said pupils who failed the 2008 examinations would be allowed to supplement.
“We encouraged school headmasters to be fair on pupils and also take into consideration the high fees that were paid by parents under the harsh economic environment. Therefore, we have decided to give the Lower Sixth Forms who failed some essential subjects to register for the June ZIMSEC examinations,†he said.
ZIMSEC delayed releasing results due to a 2008 teachers’ strike that dragged for a year.
Furthermore, the examinations body had no funds to pay examination markers on time.
However, schools in Bulawayo have recorded satisfactory results for both O and A Level results for the November/December 2008 examinations.