The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) says the rescheduled June examinations will be written in July despite consented calls for cancellation of the exams as the country continues to record an increase in COVID-19 cases.
To date, the country has 203 reported cases with four deaths, with the majority of cases coming from returning residents who are on mandatory quarantine at various isolation centres.
However, the new scourge has sent the nation in panic mode with some activists and education unions calling on ZIMSEC to put on hold the exams until such a time when it is safe to do so.
The June 2020 examination period for Ordinary Level will run from June 30 to July 20, while the Advanced Level session will begin on June 30 and end on July 23.
Zimsec board chair professor Eddie Mwenje yesterday said they have also extended the registration of the November exams which was hampered by the lockdown.
“The extended registration periods will accommodate candidates who failed to meet the deadline for the November examinations and candidates who wish to add or delete subjects from their initial registration, candidates who partially registered, but failed to remit examination fees and wish to top up their examination fees,” Prof Mwenje said.
He assured the nation that during the exams, all necessary COVID-19 conditions will be met in line with government and World Health Organisations regulations.
“All heads of examination centres are required to put in place and enforce the measures to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as directed by the government through Statutory Instrument 99,” he said.
ZIMSEC had come under fire from unions who are sceptical about the idea of writing exams during the COVID-19 period
