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Joint press release
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) and the Zimbabwe High Schools Students Union (ZIHISSU)
September 24, 2009

The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) and the Zimbabwe High Schools Students Union (ZIHISSU) are saddened by the recent developments regarding the preparations for this year's Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations. In a story published in today's Herald newspaper (24 September 2009), close to 70 percent of the students in 'O' and 'A' levels are said to have failed to raise money for registration for them to be eligible to write the examinations this year.

The Ministry of Education together with the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) pegged the exam fees at $US10 per subject for Ordinary level (US$80 per eight subjects)and $US20 for Advanced level (US$60 per three subjects), amounts which by any point of imagination are far beyond the reach of the majority of students. We are further disappointed by the arrogance being exhibited by ZIMSEC; which remains adamant as it insists that the examination fees structure will not be reviewed downwards despite the apparent evidence of the students' inability to pay the gazzetted exam fees.

The apparently exorbitant examination fees for both 'O' and 'A' Level examinations are a part of the assault of the poor and vulnerable Zimbabweans by the inclusive government neo-liberal privatization agenda, which the Zimbabwe National Students Union has been contesting.

We demand the urgent review of the examination fees system. We strongly believe it is the responsibility of the government to finance the running and administration of examinations.

We wish to reiterate our firm conviction that education should be state-funded.

Apart from the high examination fee costs the country's examination system has seriously been compromised since the establishment of ZIMSEC in the mid 90s. There have been several cases of examination leaks, with some scripts getting lost during transportation. At some instances candidates were given wrong examination scripts, candidates receiving results for subjects they did not sit for, and candidates failing to receive results for subjects they sat for.

Cases have also been reported of corrupt school officials unsealing examination packages before the examination date and either sell the scripts to candidates or give them to relatives before students sit for their exams.

We further call for the immediate setting up of an Independent Commission of Enquiry to investigate the operations of the country's examination bodies, i.e. ZIMSEC and the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO).

We jointly call upon the students of Zimbabwe to unite and resist this satanic examination fees structure.

No to privatization of Education!

Education for all and not for the elite.

Visit the ZINASU fact sheet

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