With schools closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, parents and guardians have called on the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) to postpone the 2020 June and November examinations to December.
The first term was cut short after the government introduced a string of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Parents and guardians feel that their children may not have sufficient time to adequately prepare for the exams hence the call for their postponement.
ZIMSEC spokesperson Nicky Dhlamini told NewsDay that the decision on whether to postpone the exams will be made in consultation with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE). Said Dhlamini:
We don’t work independently. We work with the ministry and government. The latter is the supreme authority of the nation, so we don’t go ahead of them. Just like when the President announced that schools were closing early, he will announce the dates when they will open. We will not make decisions independently.
MoPSE spokesperson Patrick Zumbo referred the publication to ZIMSEC, saying that though the Ministry was an interested party, issues to do with exams are dealt with by the exams body.
Meanwhile, Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana early this week said schools may reopen in August due to the coronavirus pandemic.