Teachers under several teachers’ unions have reiterated the same message to Newsday that the 2021 June candidates are not ready to sit for the mid-year or June exams given they were in class for a short period last year.
The teachers’ response came after the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education said June ZIMSEC exams will proceed as planned despite the raging pandemic that has kept learners out of school for long.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe told the publication that learners in rural areas will be greatly affected by the government’s decision:
While teachers are ready to assist, our worry is that some learners, especially those in rural areas are not yet equipped to sit for the June examinations since they were not partaking in online lessons as they had no gadgets. Some of the teachers in the rural areas do not even own a smartphone, and this will affect June registrations
While Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure said teachers were not prepared to administer exams due to incapacitation:
As of now, teachers are incapacitated. As long as the government does not address this issue, then there will not be proper implementation of the workplan for the scheduled examinations.
It is painfully worrisome that we are entering the third month into the new year with teachers singing the same song of incapacitation. This is despite that the employer is in the full knowledge of the erosion of our salaries by price hikes which began as we approached the festive season last December
Last year the government allowed June examinations to go ahead despite learners having been in school for less than 3 months.
More: Newsday