THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has said there is no date yet for the opening of schools, while the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) says there will be no public exam resits as there are no papers that leaked.
Schools were supposed to open on January 4, but an increase
in cases during the festive season resulted in the deferment of the start of
the new school term.
In a statement, the Education Ministry said an announcement
on the opening of schools will be done in due course. It dismissed social media
reports claiming that schools will open on February 15.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education takes this
opportunity to advise its valued learners, parents, guardians, teachers and
other stakeholders, that contrary to that fake social media report, the 2021
School Calendar for all primary and secondary schools will be announced in due
course, hence schools remain closed until an official announcement is made
through the ministry’s usual official methods of communication,” the statement
reads.
“Schools remain closed until an official announcement is
made through the ministry’s usual official methods of communication.” The
ministry said it reinforces the wearing of face masks, physical distancing as
well as handwashing to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in all schools as
preparations continue for the safe opening of schools and the accelerated
implementation of teaching and learning activities.
Last year, a number of schools recorded Covid-19 cases and
John Tallach secondary school in Ntabazinduna reported nearly 200 cases.
The Education Ministry also said it remains committed to
the provision of “quality, relevant, equitable, inclusive and wholesome
education” for all Zimbabweans and any communication will be cascaded through
the proper channels and structures.
Meanwhile, Zimsec has said pupils will not resit of the
Ordinary Level English and Mathematics examination as papers for the two
subjects had not leaked as claimed on social media.
A fake message circulating on WhatsApp claimed that there
would be a re-sit for the papers on a date to be announced in February after
the last paper is written. Zimsec public relations officer, Ms Nicky Dlamini
said there was no leakage of any paper in the just ended examinations.
She said that the examination board or the Education
Ministry do not communicate via WhatsApp or any form of social media but
through formal means.
Ms Dlamini said despite the outbreak of Covid-19, public
examinations were conducted in a safe environment for both the candidates and
invigilators.
She said pupils who caught the virus measures were put in
place for them to write while in isolation and these measures worked out for
the best. “Under the prevailing global circumstances seen and unforeseen, the
examinations have run so far to the best of our ability.
Students diagnosed with Covid-19 wrote their examinations
while in quarantine. There are standing regulations for such cases therefore
there was no prejudice to the pupil or exams,” she added.
Ms Dlamini said the marking of the 2020 Grade Seven public
examinations has just been concluded and results should be expected early next
month. Chronicle
0 comments:
Post a Comment