Cheating Students Get Away With It All: ZIMSEC Lets Them Write Exams Whenever They Choose
Students whose results were withheld by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) are thanking the heavens after it was revealed that they will not be suspended from writing.
Reports had indicated that the students would not be allowed to sit for exams for five years as punishment for cheating.
ZIMSEC withheld results for almost 5 000 students whom they suspected had cheated in the 2022 O Level examinations. In a shocking development, results were withheld for all O Level candidates at Mukaro High School in Masvingo.
The results were released last Friday, with the exam body pointing out the exams were marred by several irregularities. ZIMSEC confirmed that the results had been withheld because they suspected that the students cheated.
The exams body, through its public relations and communications manager, Nicolette Dhlamini, said they are still investigating outstanding cases.
“Mukaro High School and four other centres’ results were withheld because of suspected copying. However, the students received their results yesterday morning, and we are still investigating some outstanding cases. All affected students must approach their respective schools before approaching Zimsec,” she said.
She also addressed reports that students whose results were withheld on suspicion of cheating could not write exams for the next five years. Dhlamini dismissed the reports as false and said students are free to rewrite ZIMSEC exams in June or November.
She said:
The rumour saying that students cannot sit for exams for five years is a lie. Students can sit for their exams when they want; there is no restriction when they can rewrite their O-Levels
Dhlamini said although all results had been released for all schools, there was no drop in the number of withheld results. She said the number of withheld results remains 4 961.-iharare
