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Students
fail to write exam due to water and electricity woes
Henry Makiwa, SW Radio Africa
October 15, 2007
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news151007/studentsfail151007.htm
Students at a Harare
high school on Friday failed to sit for an examination due to lack
of power and water, forcing authorities to push forward the test
into the weekend.
Ordinary level students
from Kuwadzana 1 High School's Food and Nutrition class were
asked by their teachers to bring "water and portable stoves"
from home to Kuwadzana 2 High school, that had power. But according
to our correspondent, Simon Muchemwa, facilities at Kuwadzana 2
proved to be inadequate to cope with the needs of all students,
leading to some having to sit the test the following day and others,
as late as Sunday.
Demonstrating the shambles
the Zimbabwean education system has become, teachers and students
where seen carrying "two-plate" stoves and containers
of water as they frantically sought an alternative venue for the
examinations. Questions have also been raised about the integrity
of the entire examination, as it is feared that some students may
have learned of its contents, from friends sitting for the same
paper at different schools.
Muchemwa reported: "What
the Kuwadzana township witnessed is something akin to a sad and
unfortunate circus show. It best resembles the shallow levels Zimbabwean
education has plunged into and questions the integrity of the whole
examination system."
Muchemwa added that the
crisis was compounded by the absence of most teachers from duty,
as many are still sitting at home in protest at poor salaries.
Teachers in the country
went on a nationwide strike in September that has threatened to
cripple the education system. They were awarded a backdated pay
increase by government a fortnight ago, which many have spurned
as inadequate, despite calls by the Zimbabwe Teachers Association
for them to return to work.
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