Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) yesterday confirmed that this year’s Ordinary Level Mathematics paper 1 was leaked with 12 candidates accessing it.
The examinations body said some people have been arrested and there are strong chances for conviction, but did not state where the paper was leaked.
“Zimsec would like to assure its partners in the fight against examination malpractice that it carries out investigations based on credible information given to it. The Council is forever indebted to all of you for your efforts. We do not take anything for granted. It is within this context that a dozen largely independent candidates had undue access to the Ordinary Level Mathematics Paper 1 question paper,” reads a statement from Zimsec.
“Fortunately, law enforcement agents have already presented some of the culprits to the courts with high prospects for conviction and sentencing in the course of the week. The Council would like to assure the nation that any candidate who engages in illegal activities will be caught and have the examination results nullified.”
Zimsec warned members of the public that there are fake exam papers that are circulating.
“We would like to inform the members of the public that there are, as usual, fake examination papers and fake answer sheets that are being circulated. Genuine candidates have no business following the fake trail except that they lose their money and also lose invaluable study time,” reads the statement.
The examinations body said Grade 7 examinations were concluded without a hitch while Ordinary Level and Advanced Level candidates are still writing their examinations.
It said this year 367 888 pupils sat for Grade seven exams up from 359 452 last year and at Ordinary Level 344 866 pupils are writing their exams up from 299 657. At Advanced level 50 130 candidates are writing exams compared to 41 970 last year.
The admission that an exam paper had leaked comes as an embarrassment for Zimsec which last week said it had done ‘everything” to ensure that no exam paper leaks. Zimsec director Mr Esau Nhandara said the effectiveness of the new system was proven by the recent Grade Seven exams, which passed without incident.
“As Zimsec, we have done everything to prevent leakages. We don’t work alone, but we work very closely with the parent ministry and the community. I believe we have had a very successful examination period and I refer to the recently finished Grade Seven exams where there was no leakage. We are now in the middle of the O and A-Level examinations and I want to believe that there is no leakage worth talking about there,” he said.
Mr Nhandara conceded that isolated incidences could not be ruled out completely.
“I am not a prophet who can know everything, but I want to assure the public that Zimsec, through its system, has done everything humanly possible to prevent leakages,” he said.
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