By Tafadzwa Chigandiwa
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has said it was impossible for Grade 7 ZIMSEC pupils to pass 2020 examinations, following a long run crisis in the country’s education sector worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year Zimbabwe experienced a drastic decline of 9.75% in the grade 7 pass rate with over 88 schools across the country recording 0% pass rate.
A statement released by the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC), Friday revealed that a total number of 327 559 pupils set for the 2020 Grade 7 examinations.
There was 1.35% increase of pupils who sat for the examinations as compared to the 2018 entry which was 323 207.
A total 167 620 (51.17%) female students and 159 957 (48.83%) males sat for the 2020 examinations.
Speaking to Bustop TV, ARTUZ President, Obey Masaraure said the poor results points out to the deep rooted crisis in the education sector. He added that the government has always been reluctant to solve the education crisis.
“Grade 7 results are just an indicator of the deep rooted crisis in the education sector. This crisis has been brewing for years and government has left it unattended,” he said.
Masaraure said the COVID-19 pandemic just worsened the already existing education crisis.
“Why learners failed? Inadequate learning time due to COVID-19, however the pandemic just exacerbated the crisis as students went for over six months without getting formal instruction from their teachers.
“It was always going to be a miracle to expect the learners to pass examinations. There are serious crisis such as poor infrastructure in the rural areas most pupils learn under trees and make shift schools.
“It was also impossible to conduct online learning due to the absence of computers and shortage of electricity in most rural schools across the country.
The ARTUZ president also blamed the government for failing to meet the salary demands of its teachers. He indicated that incapacitation demoralized teachers.
“Teachers were also incapacitated the government deliberately reduced their wages. It was extremely difficult for teachers to deliver any meaningful lessons during this particular crisis. Government should realize the value of teachers and increase their salaries,” Masaraure said.
The teacher’s union leader stressed that a dialogue between the government and all stakeholders is imminent.
However, Bustop TV reporter contacted Minister of Primary and Secondary education, Cain Mathema who said he has no clue what might have caused a drastic decline of the grade 7 pass rate.
