33 Schools In Manicaland Record Zero Per Cent Pass Rate
Thirty-three (33) schools in Manicaland Province recorded a zero per cent pass rate during the 2021 Ordinary Level ZIMSEC examination.
This was actually an improvement as forty-five (45) secondary schools in the province recorded a zero per cent pass rate in 2020.
Manicaland Deputy Provincial Education Director (Secondary Schools), Charles Muganhu said most of the schools with a zero per cent pass rate are satellite schools. He said:
It is a complicated matter – we have 33 secondary schools with a zero per cent pass rate, and as a result, a comprehensive approach is needed to evaluate the situation and intervene so as to eradicate the zero per cent pass-rate cancer.
Most of the affected schools are satellite schools. They are still upcoming and are confronted with serious infrastructural and operational challenges.
Some of them are not yet registered and do not have substantive administrative structures which means that they are manned by ordinary teachers.
This is unacceptable because parents are not getting the expected returns on their investments after a four-year cycle.
Muganhu said the onset of COVID-19 contributed to pupils’ poor performance as they lagged behind due to lost learning time during the national lockdowns. Said Muganhu:
We are visiting each of these schools to see how best we can help them and ultimately eradicate the zero per cent pass rate. We cannot prescribe a one-size-fits-all solution if we are to increase our pass rate.
In fact, our vision as a ministry is zero tolerance for zero per cent pass rates. It means that as a ministry we must provide quality, relevant and wholesome education which makes sure that all our learners pass, and there is no school that should record a zero per cent pass rate.
After the tour, we will then implement befitting strategies to eradicate the zero per cent pass rate.
We expect our teachers to put extra tutorial support, learners to pull up their socks and commit to studying, while parents play their part at home to ensure that every child excels.
