‘A’ and ‘O’ Level June exams postponed

New Zimbabwe.com
By Lebo Nkatazo
20/05/2009

THE government has postponed the Advanced and Ordinary Level June examinations by a month while last year’s delayed examination results would be released starting Friday, Education Minister David Coltart said Wednesday.

Coltart said the government has availed US$352,218,000 to the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) for the running of this year’s mid-year examinations.

“June examinations have traditionally come during the third week of May and continued throughout to the end of June. Due to a number of logistical problems, it was not possible to start and administer the 2009 May/June examinations as originally scheduled,” the minister told reporters in Harare.

He said the examinations will now commence on July 6 and end on July 27. The registration deadline for the delayed exams is June 12.

Coltart said both ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level candidates would pay US$10 per subject as examination fees.
Meanwhile, the long delayed results of the November 2008 ‘A’ Level examination are expected to be released on Friday, while last year’s ‘O’ Level results would come out on June 5, with the 2008 Grade 7 results due on June 27.

On top of the money provided to Zimsec to run the latest examinations, Coltart said: “The government gives an undertaking to provide Zimsec with US$ 1,8 million by the end of June 2009 to pay the outstanding amounts due to markers plus a further US$2 million to pay for the other outstanding dues.”
He added that another US$ 450 000 would be availed at the end of July for the marking of the 2009 mid-year examinations.