Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT has reviewed the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) examination fee subsidy framework, with financial support set to be restricted to pupils benefiting from the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) from 2028.
Under the revised financing model, pupils attending rural primary and secondary schools, satellite schools and those benefiting from BEAM will continue receiving Government support in 2027.
However, from 2028, only BEAM beneficiaries will qualify for the subsidy, effectively ending the broader examination fee assistance programme introduced in 2020.
In a post-Cabinet briefing, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Zhemu Soda said Cabinet had considered and approved the review of the ZIMSEC Examination Fee Subsidy Framework and Examination Financing Model.
The proposal was presented by Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube in his capacity as chairman of the Cabinet Committee on National Development Planning.
Dr Soda said Government had consistently demonstrated its commitment to promoting equitable access to education and easing the socio-economic challenges faced by households through examination fee subsidies for pupils sitting national examinations.
“Government has, over the years, consistently demonstrated its commitment to promoting equitable access to education and mitigating socio-economic challenges faced by households through the provision of examination fee subsidies for pupils sitting national examinations administered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC),” said Dr Soda.
The examination fee subsidy programme was introduced in 2020 under a cost-sharing arrangement in which Government covered 53 percent of examination fees, while parents and guardians paid the remaining 47 percent.
In 2021, Government increased its contribution to 55 percent, reducing the parental share to 45 percent in a move aimed at easing the financial burden on families and enabling more pupils to sit national examinations.
However, Government has acknowledged that the universal subsidy framework does not adequately distinguish between vulnerable pupils who genuinely require financial assistance and those from households able to meet examination costs without State support.
Dr Soda said the programme had also become increasingly unsustainable because of prevailing fiscal constraints and competing national priorities, necessitating a review of the existing financing model.
Government said the revised framework was intended to ensure that available resources were directed towards the most vulnerable learners while safeguarding the integrity, security and continuity of the country’s national examinations system.
Under the phased implementation, pupils in rural primary schools classified as P3, rural secondary schools classified as S3, satellite schools and BEAM beneficiaries will continue receiving examination fee support in 2027.
