Teachers Demand Compensation For Invigilating ZIMSEC Examinations
Teachers have long raised concerns about the lack of compensation for Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) examination invigilators, and they believe it is time for these issues to be addressed.
Currently, teachers are not paid for their work during the exams, while other service providers, such as security personnel, are compensated for their roles in the ZIMSEC examination processes.
In its submission to the ZIMSEC Strategic Planning Review Sessions of 2025, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) said:
ZIMSEC must engage teachers through signed contracts. This protects the rights of teachers engaged in ZIMSEC business so that they will not be subjected to abuse. The contracts must clearly spell out the conditions of service and allowances to be paid thereafter.
All those engaged in ZIMSEC business must be paid as what happened with other parastatals which engage teachers each time they want their services. A case to note is the non-payment of invigilation by ZIMSEC.
Invigilation must be paid for, and any teacher who is engaged in invigilation of ZIMSEC examinations must be paid reasonable allowances using standard rates.
ZIMSEC has the temerity of paying police officers, resident monitors, item writers and others, but refuses to pay the invigilator who is subjected to a tempting and strenuous exercise which validates the whole examination process.
In addition to the above, invigilators are subjected to a barrage of rules and regulations, some of which are harsh for those with chronic diseases.
For example, an invigilator is not supposed to sit down, is supposed to be standing even if the paper is two or three hours long. We view this as some form of punishment.
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union (ZRTU) president Martin Chaburumunda said that everyone involved in the examination process should be compensated, especially since ZIMSEC charges learners to sit for the exams. Said Chaburumunda:
This is a very contentious issue in schools. It is long overdue as we have been complaining as unions that teachers who perform ZIMSEC duties should be paid.
Some teachers, especially those teaching practical subjects, start the examination process two or three months before, monitoring learners and safe keeping their products.
Everyone involved in the examination process must be paid because ZIMSEC charges learners to sit the examinations, yet teachers, who make sure that there is order before, during and after exams are not considered.
Teachers work for Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and not ZIMSEC, which they are being made to provide services for free.
If ZIMSEC pays the teachers who do the marking and compiling, why not those who invigilate. We will really appreciate if there are moves to bring this outstanding matter to fruition.
Taungana Ndoro, the Director of Communication and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, recently said that the issue of compensating teachers for invigilation is currently under consideration.
ZIMSEC spokesperson Nicky Dhlamini added that the decision to pay invigilators ultimately lies with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, as it is responsible for employing teachers.
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