The Zimbabwean Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has banned visits by parents and guardians to boarding schools to curb the spread of COVID-19. The government announced this decision on February 20, 2023, in response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in boarding schools.

In addition to the ban, the ministry has proposed a policy to limit the number of subjects that A-level candidates can write to four. This decision was made following complaints from parents and guardians who raised concerns about the high grades that some A-level candidates scored in the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) 2022 exams.

Furthermore, the ministry plans to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry to assess ZIMSEC’s operations, following massive paper leakages and the unusually high grades scored by pupils at A-level.

Ban on Visits to Boarding Schools

The government has banned visits by parents and guardians to boarding schools in Zimbabwe to minimize the spread of COVID-19. This move was necessary due to the escalating number of COVID-19 cases in boarding schools.

The ministry’s director of communications and advocacy, Mr. Taungana Ndoro, confirmed that the government has banned parents and guardians from visiting learners at boarding schools. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are still in full force, and the ministry has cautioned against relaxing the risk management measures.

Shungu High School in Kwekwe, in the Midlands province, was forced to cancel its planned annual general meeting (AGM) and parents’ visit on February 18, following the government’s announcement. The school’s acting head, Sister V Morisi, informed parents and guardians of the postponement in a memo. New arrangements will be communicated soon, she added.

Limiting A-level Subjects to Four

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has proposed a policy to limit the number of subjects that A-level candidates can write to four. The decision was made in response to the high grades that some A-level candidates scored in the ZIMSEC 2022 exams, which raised concerns among parents and guardians.

In a Ministerial statement on the management of the leakages of some Ordinary Level examination question papers, presented in the National Assembly on February 19, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Evelyn Ndlovu, said, “at A-level, how can people believe in people who attain 20 points? I think we need to come up with a policy to limit the number of subjects that our children write.”

Ndlovu suggested that the maximum number of A-level subjects should be four, and students should focus on excelling in these four subjects. She added that universities only require three subjects from A-level candidates, further emphasizing the need to limit the number of subjects.

Commission of Inquiry

The ministry also plans to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry to assess ZIMSEC’s operations, following massive paper leakages and the unusually high grades scored by pupils at A-level. The commission’s results and recommendations will guide the ministry’s decisions going forward.

Ndlovu suggested that the commission’s assessment would restore ZIMSEC’s credibility by evaluating its operations and identifying any weaknesses or inefficiencies. She also mentioned that the ministry intends to push for the ZIMSEC Amendment Bill to go through the relevant committees, cabinet and then to parliament.

The Zimbabwean Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s decision to ban visits by parents and guardians to boarding schools is a crucial step towards curbing the spread of COVID-19. This move is necessary, considering the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in boarding schools.