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Chinhoyi Bureau
THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council is expected to scale up electronic marking to more than half of all Ordinary Level examinations, including essays, by the end of the year.
Registration of candidates will also be done electronically.
Most of question papers are presently marked manually, which has seen claims of bias and complaints of improper marking from disgruntled candidates and their guardians.
Zimsec started electronic marking of a few papers in 2012.
Speaking at a recent stakeholders meeting in Mhangura, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora dispelled worries by parents in rural areas that their children would fail to write exams because their schools had no computers for the e-system.
“By end of November, we expect Zimsec to cover at least 60 percent of all marking electronically from current levels so that we eliminate claims of bias,” he said.
Minister Dokora said apart from removing bias, the process cut costs.
He said institutions without computers would be expected to feed their lists at the nearest convenient school with computers.
Minister Dokora said the reforms were part of a broader agenda to improve the country’s education system.
“These include broadening practical subjects and ensuring Zimsec will be involved testing our candidates,” he said of the other changes.
Minister Dokora said the Zimsec printing press in Norton would be ready for use by mid-2015.
He said countries like Namibia had made enquiries on the possibility of also using the press.
Minister Dokora said measures were being put in place to appropriately deal with people involved in leaking examination papers.
Online Reporter