Government vows to eliminate zero percent Grade 7 pass rates in schools

Patrick Chitumba, [email protected] 

GOVERNMENT has commended the improvement in Grade 7 examination results over the years and vowed to accelerate the momentum to ensure that all schools excel while eliminating zero pass rates by 2030. 

To achieve this ambitious target, the Government plans to allocate more resources to schools, including textbooks, teaching materials, and state-of-the-art technology, as well as building science laboratories.

The Grade Seven results for this year were released on Friday with a 49,01 percent pass rate, significantly up from 45,57 percent last year, due to better teaching and with girls on 53,68 percent on average doing better than boys on 43,99 percent.

The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) attributed the increased pass rate to better teaching following interventions by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in advancing and upgrading the teaching and learning process, ensuring more pupils received better teaching.

All subjects saw pass rates above 50 percent with two, Shona and Physical Education and Arts, going above 80 percent. One new optional subject, for the indigenous languages, was Xhosa with a pass rate of 72,41 percent although few wrote this subject.

Of the 387 429 candidates who sat for the 2024 Grade 7 examination, 199 939 were girls while 187 490 were boys. A total of 328 special needs candidates sat for five or six subjects.

The number of candidates rose from 327 599 in 2020 to 387 429 this year while the pass rate improved from 37,11 percent in 2020 to 49,01 percent this year.

However, concern has been raised over centres that recorded zero pass rates including schools in the Matabeleland region. Three schools in Gwanda District, Matabeleland South — Zindele, Koodooval, and Driehoek, for instance, recorded zero pass rates. In Insiza District, Mbembesi, Zhampale, Tshunkunyane, and Gwatemba had zero pass rates. 

In Bulilima District schools such as Ndutshwa, Phumuza, and Riverblock also scored zero passes. The same applies to Matabeleland North schools such as Somakantana, Hompane, and Makhasane, among others in Lupane, Hwange, Bubi, Tsholotsho, Binga, and Umguza Districts. 

Responding to questions from the Chronicle on what the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is doing to address the zero pass rate recorded in mostly rural schools, Director of Communications and Advocacy, Mr Taungana Ndoro, said strategies were in place to address poor performance, especially rural schools.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is proud of the Grade 7 examination performance for 2024, which shows that fundamentally we are improving over the last four years,” he said. 

“In 2020 our pass rate was around 37 percent and now 2024 it’s at 49 percent, which is a phenomenal increase of about 12 percent over the last four years, which is very commendable.”

Mr Ndoro said the Government is committed to continuous improvement, aiming to surpass the 50 percent pass rate mark by next year.

Looking ahead to 2030, he said the goal is to achieve near-universal success, with pass rates approaching 100 percent. 

“We see ourselves going forward increasing our pass rate bridging the 50 percent mark by next year and in the foreseeable future up until 2030 when we should be almost 100 percent,” said Mr Ndoro. 

“In terms of the pass rates, the zero percent pass rate, I am sure we have repeatedly said that this is soon going to be a thing of the past. 

“As I indicated the trends are showing that the pass rate has been increasing over the past four years. So, we know it will be extinct very soon because our strategies are working well,” said Ndoro.

Reacting to the issue, Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said rural schools were disproportionately affected by zero percent pass rates, which reinforces the long-standing concern that these schools lack access to quality education due to a shortage of qualified teachers.

He said rural schools face numerous challenges, including high staff turnover rates, inadequate learning materials, and insufficient infrastructure.

“If you check on the zero percent pass rate it’s mainly from rural schools, which confirms our old assertion that access to quality public education is blockaded by non-availability of qualified teachers in those schools,” said Dr Ndlovu. 

“Such schools usually suffer from high-staff turnover and inadequate learning and teaching material and infrastructure.”

To address these issues, Dr Ndlovu, emphasized the need for a financing structure that supports disadvantaged schools.

“The answer is in financing structure, which should support such schools. This should be supported by programmes that address both teacher competence and practice and learner competence,” he added.

Dr Ndlovu said there is a need for a comprehensive approach to address the educational disparities in rural Zimbabwe, recognizing that a well-funded and supported education system is crucial for the country’s development.