Sunday News
9 March 2013
THE Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) is facing serious financial problems as Treasury has been reneging on paying for grade 7 examinations for the past three years forcing Zimsec to fund the examination and bleed its coffers in the process.
The precarious financial position has culminated in the failure by Zimsec to produce certificates in time, amid revelations that some companies and higher learning institutions in and outside the country were refusing to accept result slips for O and A-levels thereby disadvantaging many people who would have sat and passed their examinations.
In response to questions by the Sunday News, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart said the major challenges the education system was facing was the under-funding of operations within Zimsec and the delay in approving examination fees by Cabinet.
He said Zimsec was still awaiting the disbursement of the outstanding US$1,5 million for 2012 Grade 7 examinations whose results have long been released, adding that the country’s examination body was facing a financial crisis through no fault of its own. He highlighted though that Zimsec was expecting to receive the June and November 2011 certificates before the end of this term.
“The major challenge that the education system is facing from our perspective is the under-funding of operations within Zimsec. Government undertook to provide a grant to pay for Grade 7 examinations but Treasury has not released the full allocation for the last three years. Zimsec develops its budget and cost build-up on the basis of these promises but is left in the lurch when the grant does not materialise.
“Council is then forced to borrow money from other lines of expenditure to finance the Grade 7 examination to the detriment of these equally important exercises — capital projects and operations in general.
Minister Coltart said the prompt production of certificates was hampered by lack of foreign currency in years prior to the use of the United States dollar and clearing that backlog was made difficult by inadequate funding.
He said Zimsec had to use funds for current years to finance the purchase of 2007, 2008 and 2009 certificates.
In addition, he said, the certificates needed to have advanced security features embedded on them to thwart counterfeiters.
“The two-cycle examination sessions for O and A-level every year further exacerbated the printing and production of certificates, once the initial schedule is violated as happened during the difficult years of 2007, 2008 and 2009.  Catching up with the production of outstanding certificates requires additional financial resources which, unfortunately, have not been available to Zimsec in the recent past and current situation,’’ he said.
He implored Zimsec stakeholders to bear with it as it grapples with addressing the issue of outstanding certificates saying so far, the certificates for both June and November 2010 and prior years had been released to examination centres. He said Zimsec expected to receive the June and November 2011 certificates before the end of this term, adding that when the 2011 certificates were delivered and the funding was available, Zimsec would order certificates for the June 2012 examinations.
“With respect to funding, it is pertinent to note that Zimsec has used part of the 2012 Ordinary and Advanced Level funds to finance the 2012 Grade 7 examinations and is now awaiting the re-imbursement of this money from Treasury. Zimsec hopes to be abreast with the standard practice of producing certificates within 90 days of the release of results with the November 2012 results,’’ said Minister Coltart.
He said examination fees should always be approved towards the end of the year preceding the year they become due for collection.
This arrangement, he said, was made possible in 2011 for 2012 but unfortunately, was not repeated in 2012 for 2013 making planning extremely difficult.