Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
BULAWAYO residents have called for a mandatory 10-year jail sentence for Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) employees who will be found guilty of leaking or facilitated the leaking of examination material.
The proposal, unanimously agreed by residents who attended a public hearing meeting on the Zimsec amendment Bill by the Parliamentary portfolio committee on Primary and Secondary Education at a Bulawayo hotel on Wednesday, was made by Ms Sehlile Thebe.
Presenting her proposal, Ms Thebe said schools, teachers and learners do not produce any examination material and for that material to then leak, it naturally means someone within the production chain of the material would be behind it.
“A question paper cannot suddenly find its way into a teacher’s or learner’s mobile phone. It would have originated from somewhere and to me that somewhere is the source of the papers, which is Zimsec. I therefore propose a mandatory 10 year prison sentence for Zimsec officials who are found complicit to the leakage,” said Ms Thebe.
Ms Thebe was supported by another delegate, Ms Monalisa Dube, who said the epicentre of leakages was the source of the examination material with everyone else just being guilty of being the mode of transportation.
“We are not condoning those who then spread the examination material, but once we close the source, everything will be in order. Let us not just close the matter with the conviction of those who would have been found with the examination material, but thorough investigations must be done to establish the source and I am certain it will land at the Zimsec offices so I am also in support of the 10 year jail sentence, if not more,” said Ms Dube.
The Parliament portfolio committee, one of the two for the exercise, is being led by Zaka North legislator, Cde Ofias Murambiwa.
Cde Murambiwa said his committee covers five provinces, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central.
