BULAWAYO – The government on Wednesday reacted to the public fury over Ordinary and Advanced Level examination fees increases by reverting to 2015 levels, while “further consultations” take place.
The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) had set March 19 as the registration deadline for pupils who will sit the November 2020 examinations.
O’ Level candidates were set to pay ZW$190 per subject, up from ZW$15 previously. The government directive means parents will pay $26 per subject for A’ level candidates.
Primary and Secondary School Education Minister Cain Mathema, in a statement on Wednesday, said it had become “necessary to carry out further consultations” after the government’s published exam fees sparked outrage.
“While the exam fees that were published are based on the actual cost of each examination, the ministry would like to inform parents and guardians that following further representations, the recently released circular on the 2020 examination fees has been cancelled with immediate effect,” Mathema said.
The minister said new fees would be announced after further consultations, but candidates “must continue paying the old fees approved in 2015 (and) deadlines for examination fees payment remain the same.”
It remained unclear if the government plans to ask parents to pay top-up fees in future, or this year’s exam fees would be subsidised by the government.
A headmaster told ZimLive: “It’s complete chaos. It’s policy making on the go and we just have to make sense of the confusion.”
The exam fees increase recently drew anger from MPs who said many hard-up parents, whose salaries have been shrivelled by inflation, would not be able to afford – leaving the futures of thousands of pupils in jeopardy.
