Zimbabwe: In Hundreds of Schools, Pass Rate Is Zero

And this figure doesn’t even include the additional hundreds of schools in which the pass rate is nearly zero. This, as you will see in this piece directly from Zimbabwean media, is what you get in a Black African country which expelled, dispossessed, and murdered the Whites who built a civilization there, driving nearly all of them out. In the second article below, also from Zimbabwe’s own media, you will learn of one school that has had a consistent zero pass rate for the past 17 years.

THERE ARE SOME schools in Zimbabwe that record a zero percent pass rate — and there are 250 of them as of 2018.

Government has expressed concern over the performance of some schools in national exams, amid indications that over 250 primary and secondary schools, mostly satellite schools, across the country recorded zero pass rates in the 2018 examinations.

Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Mrs Tumisang Thabela said the Office of President and Cabinet and the Public Service Commission were worried about the zero pass rate and were putting in place measures to address the situation.

Mrs Thabela was officially opening the National Association of Primary School (NAPH) and National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH) inaugural joint track and field events competitions at Midlands Christian College in Gweru last week.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the OPC and PSC are concerned about low standards in infrastructure and general teaching and learning levels in satellite schools which seem to precipitate zero percent pass rates,” she said.

“At Grade 7, 68 primary schools recorded zero percent pass rate in 2018 while at ‘O’ level, 194 schools had zero percent pass rate.”

Mrs Thabela said stakeholders raised concerns over what was seemingly a low pass rate, adding that reasons for such a pass rate could be attributed to the absence of the continuous assessment component.

“This brings me to the ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level academic results for 2018,” she said. “You will notice that this was the first examination for our competence-based curriculum. ‘O’ Level pass rate was 32,6 percent, while ‘A’ Level was 84,7 percent. Pass rate at Grade 7 was 53,42 percent.”

Mrs Thabela said appropriate feedback was required immediately and all efforts in supervision and monitoring should target the schools.

“My ministry and Zimsec are working tirelessly to have the continuous assessment framework in place as soon as possible,” she said.

Mrs Thabela said her ministry was encouraging every school to resuscitate school feeding programmes in the wake of the pending drought to reduce dropouts.

“School feeding generally had been suspended because of the cholera outbreak,” she said.

“With the advent of the effects of the prevailing drought in most areas in the country and the unfortunate effects of Cyclone Idai, the ministry is encouraging every school to resuscitate school feeding.

“Modalities can be worked out at school, cluster and district levels so that we maintain the enrolments as well as reducing dropouts.”

Appendix

17 Years of 0% Pass Rate for Mwenezi School

Pupils at Turf Primary School in Ward 15 has over the past 17 years ran without even a single classroom block and has recorded a zero percent pass rate in grade seven examinations ever since.

During lessons, many pupils sit on the ground under makeshift structures built of wooden poles and dagga with thatched roof.

Turf Primary School Teacher-in-Charge (TIC) Bernard Mahutse said the school was facing some of the worst conditions a school could ever face in the country.

“Grade seven classes use these facilities during their final examinations. We have a total enrolment of 368 pupils and we have few pieces of furniture such that some of our pupils learn seated on the ground,” said Mahutse.

Teachers do not stay longer at the school as there are no houses for them, and none of them is motivated to stay at the school for a long time.

“There are five teachers here and that shows you how understaffed we are. Different grades are combined into one single class to make it easier for teachers to cope. Teachers do not stay for long and pupils are taught by new faces all the time,” said Mahutse.

Local parents also lamented the conditions at the school which they described as good as a play centre for their children to pass their time.

“Nothing is learnt at Turf as our children just go there to grow up and socialise with their age-mates. During the rainy season, many parents would rather have their children herding cattle and goats than to going to school where they benefit nothing except to come back home with dirt uniforms,” said female parent.

Ward 15 Cllr Edson Chauke said the school faced a serious predicament as the Ministry of Lands was yet to officially authorise the school’s location.

“Conditions there are really bad and that is tragic to the future of our children there. The Ministry of Land is backtracking on pegging the school to make its siting permanent.

“We briefed our MP (Priscilla Moyo) about the state of affairs at the school and she promised to assist in that regard. We will keep pushing to ensure that a way out is found and conditions there are improved,” said Chauke.

Mwenezi Rural District Council (RDC), which is the responsible authority, through the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Chivanga acknowledged the state of affairs at the school.

Chivanga told TellZim News in a telephone interview that schools which were unpegged and are on private properties are difficult to develop until certain issues got clarified.

The entire Mwenezi district has a total of 172 schools, 102 of which are satellites, having been born out of the often chaotic Land Reform Programme.

Most satellite schools in the district are in a sorry state, with Turf Primary being just but an epitome of worse things going on.

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Source: The Herald and Radio VOP