Govt Warns Schools Against Turning Away ZIMSEC Candidates Before Deadline

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Moses Mhike, has urged parents to report any challenges with examination registration to their nearest district or provincial education offices.

His call comes ahead of the deadline for the November 2026 ZIMSEC Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations, which is set for 27 March 2026.

Speaking to ZBC News, Mhike stressed that no prospective candidate should be turned away as long as the registration window remains open. He said:

“Registration of all examinations is still ongoing, and if we have any reports of any schools that are saying they have already closed, please, as parents, you understand you have to come to the ministry and give us reports.

“The deadline is the 27th of March, and parents are encouraged to go and pay the respective schools where their children attend.

“If there is any problem… each district has a district schools inspector. That’s where the parent must be able to go.

“If you don’t get any joy from the district schools inspector, you then go to the provincial education director, now called the chief director, provincial education services.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Moses Mhike, said parents can still reach out to the Ministry’s communications department if they don’t get the help they need at provincial offices.

He added that they could even contact him directly on his personal number for assistance.

Mhike also urged parents not to leave registering their children for exams until the last minute, reminding them that the deadline of 27 March 2026 was announced around two months ago.

He added that if a significant number of learners miss the registration deadline, the Ministry may consider extending it to accommodate them. Said Mhike:

“If there is any outcry, if people have not yet registered, and… we still have quite a lot of children that have not registered, we then go to the Honourable Minister and say, can we extend?

“And I know we have always extended the registration period where parents have come to the ministry with that kind of a request.”

All candidates must be registered through the online system by their heads of centres by the 27 March 2026 deadline.

For those paying in local currency or South African Rand, the applicable rates are US$1 to ZiG26.53 and US$1 to ZAR16.89.

The Ministry has emphasised that registration fees must be paid through schools or examination centres, as ZIMSEC does not accept direct payments from individual candidates.

Examination centres are required to have a minimum of 10 candidates for both O-Level and A-Level sittings.

Private candidates must present valid identification at the time of registration, which can include a National ID, passport, driver’s license, or a certified birth certificate.