No June exams this year

THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) will not conduct June public examinations this year owing to disruptions caused by Covid-19, while sports and other extracurricular activities remain banned in schools.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has also maintained a blanket ban on most pre-Covid-19 school activities such as boarding school visits and parents’ consultation days.

In an interview with our Bulawayo Bureau, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Evelyn Ndlovu said: “There is the Ad-hoc Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Covid-19 that assesses how the conditions are like and provide evidence-based advice to the National Covid-19 Preparedness and Response.

“So, we have not been given that go ahead but we have normalised the five days schooling.

She said the current winter season poses a risk of Covid-19 outbreaks in schools.

“We still have to be on guard because the Covid-19 pandemic is still there and we are now going into winter which is a very dangerous time.

“Hence we must be very careful to avoid a fall back.

“Once the committee looks into that we will present our case if the environment is conducive but the environment is still sensitive for now because winter is here,” added Minister Ndlovu.

Schools opened for the second term on Tuesday last week, with the Government announcing a return to five-day learning week.

Zimsec spokesperson, Ms Nicky Dlamini said June examinations will only be reintroduced once the school calendar goes back to normal.