Chronicle Editor
Abigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent
The November 2017 Grade Seven examination results have recorded a 44,73 percent national pass rate, which is a 1,83 percent rise from last year despite an increase in the number of subjects from four to five. Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the 2017 national pass rate of 44,73 percent for both school and private candidates was an increase on last year’s 42,90 percent.
“Agriculture is the newly examined subject at Grade Seven and the pass rate in agriculture is 50,13 percent which is comparable to all other subjects.” The total number of candidates who registered for the examinations was 326 109 compared to a 2016 entry of 329 549. There was a decrease of 3440 candidates which translates to 1,04 percent.
The Braile candidates recorded a pass rate of 71.43 percent. An enlarged print candidates recorded 50 percent while candidates who are hard of hearing recorded a pass rate of 31,59 percent. Minister Mavima said the ministry would undertake a review and analysis of the causes for the low pass rate.
He also said the Electronic Ministry’s Application Platform (EMAP) registration process for Form One boarding places was in progress and over 19 000 applications had since been received prior to the release of results. “The number of boarding places that are available is 24 000 so this has been a good process in terms of the numbers that have so far registered,” he said.
“The system continues to be open and now that the results are available, the Ministry is going to feed the results into the system and the selection process will then start at each of the schools.”
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