The Herald
By Felex Share
29 April 2010
Harare — The November 2009 national percentage pass rate for Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations was 19 and 70 percent respectively, a slight improvement from previous years.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart yesterday also revealed that the Grade Seven performance was the worst in a decade at 20 percent.
Rural schools fared the worst, with several recording zero percent pass rates.
The number of candidates who registered for the 2009 “O” Level exams was less than half the figure recorded for 2008 and dropped by over 90 000 from 2007.
Minister Coltart said Zimbabwe’s education sector was in a “critical state” and stern measures were needed to turn things around.
“There is a grave danger that the nation will suffer from a lost generation if this crisis is not taken seriously.
“Urgent steps need to be taken to rectify some of the obvious problems, such as the scarcity of teaching and learning material, inadequacy of physical infrastructure and the no longer attractive working conditions for teachers.
“A higher proportion of the National Budget and resour-ces should be allocated to education to resuscitate Zimbabwe’s education system, which is obviously in a critical state,” he said.
The national pass rate for “O” Level exams last year stands at 19,33 percent compared to 14,44 percent in 2008.
For “A” Level exams, the figure is 76,88 percent, up from 67 percent in 2008.
Minister Coltart said 2009 “O” Level candidate levels were the “worst” in years.
In 2007, 179 274 students sat for the examinations while only 87 201 registered for the exams last year.
“A” Level exams registration dropped by more than 10 000 students from 2007 with 23 500 registering last year.
The figure for 2007 was 34 126.
Thousands of prospective candidates failed to register for the public examinations in 2009 citing “exorbitant” fees.
Candidates were asked to pay US$10 and US$20 per “O” and “A” Level paper respectively.
Minister Coltart attributed the low registration to poverty and disruptions to classes.
“Our major concern is the dramatic decline in the number of children sitting in the examinations which one hopes will be addressed when help is extended to orphans and the vulnerable.
“Most of them were affected by poverty, but we have to take into consideration other factors which made it impossible for the children to be ready for the examinations,” he said.
Minister Coltart bemoaned the performance of rural schools.
“There are worrying figures in the rural areas and a huge disparity when we compare with urban schools.
“It is mostly the rural teachers and students who experience hardships when it comes to resources,” he said.
He, however, paid tribute to parents and teachers who worked collectively to improve the situation.
“At all levels, efforts by teachers to adequately prepare their learners for the examinations should be noted and appreciated,” he said
Minister Coltart said he was optimistic students’ performance would improve this year as the economic environment improved.