Exam bailout doubtful

Herald

28 June 2010

By Felex Share
PROSPECTS that the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council could allow more than 110 000 disadvantaged candidates to sit for their November examinations look hazy as it emerged that it is owed nearly US$5 million in unpaid fees.

Government last year allowed students to sit for the examinations without paying fees on the understanding that that these would be paid at a later date.

Last week, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart announced that the Government would release US$1,8 million for needy candidates under the Basic Education Assistance Model.

However, sources at Zimsec last week indicated that the examination council was still owed money from last year.

“We have been battling to get the money owed from last year and Zimsec has written twice to Government with little joy,” the source said.

Minister Coltart acknowledged the debt in an interview last Friday and said he was waiting for Treasury to release the money while Minister Biti said his office could only allocate budget finances to Zimsec and not for pupils.

Thousands of candidates failed to register for last year’s November Ordinary and Advanced Level public examinations owing to exorbitant fees.

However, to date, nothing has been paid to the examinations body.

The State said it would help poor candidates pay for six subjects for O-Level and four subjects for A-Level, including General Paper.

In addition, Government said it would pay for those who had registered for less than six subjects.

Confirming the debt, Minister Coltart said Treasury committed itself to paying for the disadvantaged pupils.

“On the issue of the money owed to Zimsec, I can only say they (Zimsec) have written to me in the past on the matter but it is the responsibility of the Treasury to release the money to them not the education ministry.

“At the moment, I am not aware of the current position but I would appropriately comment after consulting Mr Ndanga (Zimsec director) and officials from the Finance Ministry next week,” he said.

However, Minister Biti argued that examination issues were the responsibility of the Education Ministry.

He said his ministry’s duty was “only” to allocate the examination body money in the National Budget not to pay for students’ examination fees.

“As far as I am concerned we do not owe them (Zimsec) anything and the education minister is the ideal man to talk

“We only allocate them money in the National Budget and anything to do with education is the sole responsibility of the parent ministry,” he said.

However, it could not be established how many from the 187 000 O-Level candidates and 23 000 A-Level pupils — who registered for exams last year — should have had their fees covered by Government.

Zimsec director Mr Happy Ndanga on Friday admitted that Government owed them money.

“Government does not owe us money in the general sense of a lender and borrower but intervenes in cases of hardships.

“Government pays examination fees for hardship cases that have been identified at the school and vetted by the Community Selection Committee. There has never been strenuous efforts to make them pay,” he said.

However, a senior Zimsec staffer in the finance department said the examination body had written to the ministries of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture and Finance twice on the matter with no favourable results.

He said the unpaid debts were affecting operations at the institution and would cripple the examination body if not paid again this year.

“Government is our sole financier and we normally get our money from the money paid by the candidates. They promised to pay us through the Finance Ministry but it seems we will never get anything. If Government continues offering the examinations for free then it will be disastrous on our part.

“We need money to print question papers, purchase exam materials, for distribution, paying markers among other things and how does Government think we are coping?

“We must be clear in the way we operate because in the end the blame is always heaped on Zimsec yet they (Government) will have contributed immensely to the crisis,” said the official.

Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Services’ Enhanced Social Protection Project, intervenes in cases of hardships.

One of these interventions includes Beam where Government pays examination fees for disadvantaged pupils identified by the schools.

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