Zimsec probes exam leak

Midlands Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) is conducting independent investigations following the leakage in the Midlands of two Ordinary Level examination papers, an official said yesterday.
The official said the examination would only decide whether or not to re-set the papers after completing the investigations.
Two ‘O’ Level examination papers, Geography Paper Two and Integrated Science Paper Two, are suspected to have been leaked affecting at least six secondary schools in Gweru and Kwekwe.

A headmaster at Njeremoto Secondary in Sesombe Resettlement area in Zhombe, Vimbai Manaka (39), and five teachers from different schools in Kwekwe urban and Gweru have since been arrested.

A Zimsec official said yesterday investigations into the matter were still underway.
The official said the Zimsec board will only be in a position to determine the magnitude of the leak after completing its investigations.
“At the moment, investigations are still underway. The board will only decide on the way forward after receiving a full investigations report,” said the official.

A senior teacher at a school in Gweru and an examiner told Chronicle that if the investigations revealed that the leaked papers did not spread to other provinces, only pupils of the affected schools will rewrite the papers.

The veteran teacher said the decision to have the papers re-set and re-written could only be arrived at when the findings prove that the leaked papers got to all corners of the country.

“If the investigations prove otherwise, then only a few schools in the Midlands would be affected. Pupils from the affected schools will not get their results for the two particular subjects,” said the examiner.

Zimsec director, Mr Esau Nhandara yesterday said Zimsec will only give an official comment after the police had completed their investigations.

“The matter is still under police investigations and Zimsec cannot comment on the issue as of now as this might jeopardize police investigations,” said Mr Nhandara responding to questions faxed to his office by Chronicle yesterday.