HARARE – The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has poked holes in a recent government attempt to plug rampant leakages of public examination papers under the management of the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC).
Under the new measures introduced by the government examination body, question papers will now be transported to the centres on the day of writing.
In a statement, ARTUZ dismissed that as a “feeble” intervention devoid of any basic understanding on the real causes of the leakages.
The outspoken teachers group further said the new measures will unnecessarily burden both teachers who would be acting as invigilators and examination candidates who would have to bear with what could be harsh inconsistencies of any experimental policy.
ARTUZ sought to disabuse authorities of the notion that exam paper leakages emerged from school strong rooms during storage but occurring long before they even reach these facilities.
“ZIMSEC’s attempts to address the issue through generic circulars only scratch the surface, failing to tackle the core problem of examination leakage,” said the teachers union.
ARTUZ said leakages emanated from a string of activities within the entire preparation process starting from the setting up papers, review, moderation, and printing.
The union also flagged frailties within the strong room storage systems and database management of soft copies.
Among points of leakages identified by the group was the movement of printed papers to various centers within districts and onward transmission to individual centres by school officials in the absence of ZIMSEC supervision.
ARTUZ said the “use of public transport from district centres to schools” left school officials vulnerable to losing papers along the way.
To rectify the situation, ARTUZ called for “a comprehensive review of ZIMSEC’s security protocols throughout the entire examination value chain, encompassing production, storage, distribution, collection, and writing processes.”
ARTUZ further urged establishment of “a dedicated security unit responsible for the secure transportation of examination papers from district centers to schools.”
“ZIMSEC must bear the costs of examination transportation and administration, ensuring fair compensation for teachers and reducing the temptation for leakage.
“Introduce a robust digital proofing system, such as coding all examination papers, to detect any unauthorized access before the designated time.
“Reevaluate the current form of assessment and consider implementing competency-based evaluation, reducing reliance on high-stakes, one-time seating examinations.
“Enact sound educational policies that prioritise skills and professional competence over the mere supremacy of certificates.
“Launch an urgent educational commission of inquiry at ZIMSEC to address allegations of nepotism, staff incompetence, and overall reform of the examinations board,” the union said.
