The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) says there were no examination paper leakages during the June 2024 public exam sittings.
The ZIMSEC mid-year public examinations took place from May 27 to June 21, 2024.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, ZIMSEC public relations manager Nicky Dhlamini-Moyo said that over 32,000 candidates wrote the exams.
Dhlamini-Moyo attributed the lack of paper leakages to a combination of tight security measures around the distribution and storage of the exam materials, as well as the introduction of stiff penalties for offenders, which had deterred such malpractices. She said:
The June examinations ran well, with the help of our parent ministry, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, school administrations, the national law-enforcement agencies and all stakeholders.
We did not encounter any incidents where candidates had pre-access to examination question papers in the June 2024 examination session.
For the June 2024 examinations, 144 candidates registered for the Advanced Level tests, while 32,049 candidates sat the Ordinary Level tests.
The integrity of examinations is of vested interest to all Zimbabweans. ZIMSEC has put in place various measures, which include the daily delivery of question papers to cluster centres.
We are grateful to all stakeholders and the nation as a whole for the support in keeping the examinations secure.
Exam paper leakages have been a recurring issue for ZIMSEC in previous years, with the examination body and school authorities often blaming each other for the breaches.
For example, in the November 2022 exam cycle, over 100 students, teachers, and members of the public were arrested for alleged involvement in exam paper leaks.
However, Dhlamini-Moyo’s comments suggest that ZIMSEC has taken decisive action to address the issue, through enhanced security measures and stricter penalties.
The lack of any reported leakages during the June 2024 exams indicates that these efforts may have been effective in curbing the problem.
It remains to be seen whether ZIMSEC can sustain this improved track record going forward.
More: Pindula News