Chronicle Editor
To ensure that the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) remains viable while easing pressure on parents and guardians, the Government has committed to paying 53 percent of examination fees for pupils at public schools.
Parents and guardians with children attending Government, council and not-for-profit schools will then pay 47 percent of the total exam fees.
Before the Government intervention on Wednesday, a parent with a child sitting for the mandatory five subjects at Grade Seven was to pay $264. One with a kid writing 10 subjects at Ordinary Level was supposed to pay $1 900 whereas one with a child sitting for the now-normal average four subjects at Advanced Level were to pay $1 404. The fees were higher for some subjects, as high as $440 and $710 for science subjects at O- and A-levels respectively. This meant that the exam fee for one doing three science subjects at A-Level was around $2 100 and higher when we include Maths, the effective compulsory fourth subject for anyone doing sciences at that level.
Not many parents and guardians were to afford these high fees which is why there was a national outcry when the structure was originally announced early last month. Many in rural areas — and they constitute the majority in our country — cannot dream of having $2 100 in their pockets in a drought year such as the one we are in. Even some in towns and cities don’t have that kind of money.
The Government had to intervene, which it did with a $150 million subsidy on Wednesday.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema, in a statement underscored the Government’s commitment to ensure access to education by as many children as possible.
“Government is releasing $150 million to Zimsec with immediate effect to get the preparations for the 2020 June and November examinations going and will avail the balance to Zimsec once the total candidature from the public schools for the June and November examinations is ascertained,” he said.
“I would now like to advise all parents and guardians of schoolchildren in Grade 7, Ordinary and Advanced levels that in 2020, Government will be contributing 53 percent of the examination fees for candidates in public schools, while parents and guardians will take up 47 percent.”
Parents already pay very big sums of money as normal school fees for their children termly. In addition, they spend more buying stationery and uniforms for their children. All these and examination fees taken together, show that the cost of education has been increasing in recent months.
There was a genuine risk that, had the Government not stepped in, some parents or guardians were going to fail to raise enough money to pay the examination fees. Their children were not going to write examinations this year, an unacceptable development in a country with a good educational record. This was to amount to stealing the futures of so many children across the country.
Happily for everyone, those possible challenges have been forestalled.
For candidates sitting O-Level examinations, Government will pay $100 per subject while the candidate pays $90. Candidates sitting for A-Level examinations will pay $165 per subject while Government comes in with $186 to take the total to $351 per subject.
Parents will pay more than last year’s exam fees but we believe that with the subsidy, they will be able to raise enough to pay the new sums. We hope also that they recognise the Government’s commitment to assisting them just as it has been doing in recent months coming up with targeted subsidies to alleviate the challenges that financially vulnerable communities are facing amid the prevailing economic situation. Among the subsidies is that on public transport through the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) which is working wonders in urban areas. The roller meal intervention is the other although it is being fine-tuned for it to benefit the poor.
Subsidies are, by definition, designed to assist the poor. For that reason, parents with children attending private schools will not enjoy the examination fee subsidy so have to pay the full fees. They are already paying an average $15 000 in school fees per term per child at private schools, much more for those with kids at elite schools. Such parents will certainly not struggle to raise $1 900 or $2 100 to pay examination fees for their kids. If they do, maybe they have their children at the wrong schools.
Also to be excluded from the subsidy are those who are re-writing their exams. They had their chance before when fees were more affordable and when the economy was better, so they cannot expect to have their examination fees paid by the Government now. This sounds fair, but, we regret that the argument isn’t fair for everyone.
Some people actually should have benefited. They are from poor backgrounds and have been writing one or two subjects at a time over the years subject to the availability of money at the time of registering. For these, $190 per subject at O-Level is an impossible amount. We regret their exclusion, but can’t find a way at this late stage how they can be identified and assisted.
Online Reporter