ZIMSEC Crippled By US$71 Million Govt Debt

The Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) is struggling with financial and infrastructural challenges that threaten the integrity of national examinations, a parliamentary report has revealed.

The Portfolio Committee on Education said ZIMSEC is owed US$71 million by the government, mainly from delayed Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) reimbursements, crippling its capacity to expand and modernise infrastructure.

At ZIMSEC’s Norton headquarters, officials told the committee that US$4 million is urgently needed to install a secondary examination processing line and back-up equipment to avoid a single-point failure during exam cycles.

The report also noted that ZIMSEC is weighed down by ballooning operational costs. Security contracts with the Zimbabwe Republic Police cost the council over US$1 million annually, while transport and storage expenses during peak periods amount to thousands of dollars daily.

The committee also reported that government arrears have stalled key ZIMSEC capital projects. The Midlands permanent office, purchased in 2012 for US$145,000, remains undeveloped due to a lack of an estimated US$850,000 construction budget, while the Lupane regional hub requires US$1.2 million to break ground.

The report also revealed stark regional disparities in examination infrastructure. Some centres, like the Matabeleland South Regional Hub in Gwanda, completed at a cost of US$1.7 million, meet ZIMSEC’s security and functionality standards. However, several other offices operate under difficult conditions.

In Bulawayo, ZIMSEC functions from a dilapidated municipal building plagued by overcrowding, noise pollution, an outdated sewer system, and inadequate secure storage.

Examination materials are often stored offsite at rented facilities such as Founders High School and the United College of Education, adding logistical challenges and security risks.

In Lupane, Matabeleland North, plans for a provincial hub on a 1.5-hectare site with boreholes remain in the design phase due to funding shortages.

The makeshift Bulawayo operations are also hampered by acute file storage shortages, undermining administrative efficiency.

Remote districts face additional challenges. In Gokwe, examination scripts must travel over 150km on unpaved roads from Chaplin High School in Gweru, while Nkashe Secondary School in Matabeleland South spends more than US$8,700 each cycle to transport papers just 20km.

The committee also noted widespread delays in invigilator payments, from Cherutombo High in Mashonaland East to Founders High in Bulawayo, causing work stoppages and last-minute timetable changes.

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