PARENTS are struggling to get A’ Level places for their children as some schools are taking students with 10 As and above, it has been revealed.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
The demands by the schools go against a general requirement that students need to write eight O’ Level subjects.
Amos Phiri, whose child scored seven As and three Bs, said he was struggling to secure a place for his son yesterday despite the new new term beginning tomorrow.
“My son passed with flying colours and my first choice for an A’ Level school was a school in the Nyanga area,” he said.
“I went to different trust schools like St Faith’s, but the demands were that in order to get a place, one needed 12 As pass grade.
“At Marondera High School, the requirement was that in order for a child to get a place, they must have acquired seven A grade passes or more.”
Another parent, Balbina Moyo, said her daughter got three As and seven Bs, but was failing to get places at schools such as the Catholic-run Monte Cassino High School in Macheke.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Schools such as the Anglican-run St John’s Chikwaka and Catholic-run St Paul’s in Murewa were also insisting on 10 As for outside students.
Very few schools like Howard Mission (Salvation Army) and some government-owned boarding schools were not very particular about the number of As one garnered.
Several students who passed with flying colours, but were not necessarily whiz kids failed to secure places at their preferred schools.
The situation has given a false impression that the 2017 O’ Level candidates excelled.
Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) public relations officer Nicholette Dlamini said although the examination body could not comment on why schools were making such demands, there was a 26,35% pass rate in the 2017 compared to 27,92% in 2016.
“The total number of candidates who sat for the November 2017 O’ Level examination was 332 473 students,” she said.
“The total candidates who wrote five or more subjects were 189 684 and out of those, only 49 982 students obtained grade C or better in five or more subjects.”
She said Zimsec did not go to the extent of breaking down the results to show how many students passed with A grades as it was the responsibility of different schools to do it.
Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavima said parents should not panic as there were several vacant places for those students wishing to enrol for A’ Level classes.
“Many parents want to enrol their children at trust schools and top government schools like Goromonzi High School,” he said.
“However, if we take the example of Goromonzi, one will find that 1 000 students are competing for only 50 A’ Level places.
“We are saying headmasters must be objective and desist from enrolling students that are their relatives, or on political basis, but when everything has been said and done, those that qualify for A’ Level places are all going to get the places.”
