admin
Commenting on reports that the paper was leaked to the students and that some of them were assisted, he said; “It might not be what people think but the sketchy information that we have shows that it was a result of a blunder by one candidate. I would not want to divulge more details because that will jeopardise our investigations.”
Mr Munyikwa appealed to the candidates not to panic.
“We urge them to be patient as we are working hard to rectify the issue and we are happy everyone is co-operating,” he said.
No candidate, however, has been interviewed, as is the norm when such a situation occurs.
According to the Zimsec Malpractice Procedure if results are withheld, the centre informs the candidates and asks them to give statements.
The statements are sent to Zimsec together with any other information requested.
A malpractice committee looks at the case taking into account the candidates’ statements and after carefully considering all the evidence, it (committee) recommends whether the results should be released or withheld.
The process usually takes 21 days.
If it is decided that results can be released, the original results will be issued, unchanged.
Examples of malpractice include copying, use of cellphones, not following an invigilator’s instructions and impersonation.
Zimsec public relations manager Mr Ezekiel Pasipamire said most private colleges were giving them “headaches” during each examination session.
“It is natural for Zimsec to withhold results at any centre where there is a suspected case of malpractice and breach of examination regulations.
“To maintain the credibility of our examination system, Zimsec has adopted a zero tolerance to malpractices particularly by private centres. Those are the ones that give us a headache every time there are examinations by not adhering to the standard examination procedures,” he said.
Mr Pasipamire said Zimsec would not hesitate to de-register such centres.
“We would like to maintain the good examination standards in this country and we will not allow bad practices to prevail,” he said.
Interviewed parents and guardians told The Herald that their children were being inconvenienced without explanation from Zimsec and the college.
“My son wanted to apply for the January intake at Harare Polytechnic but with this happening I don’t know if we will beat the Friday deadline.
“We have approached the school and Zimsec and all they tell us is they are investigating and we do not know what to do at the moment,” said one Mr Abel Muzondo.
Other parents said they would seek legal recourse in this matter.
“Their action is unjustified and the only way is to drag both of them to court,” said another parent.
In 2005, Zimsec withheld O-Level Chemistry results for candidates at Gokomere High School following suspicions that a teacher leaked the paper.
The teacher taught his class exactly what was in the Zimsec Chemistry examination the day before the examination.
This led to his class producing answers, which were almost similar.
Many private schools cheat so that they produce good results.
Online Reporter