The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe pointed Wednesday to the failure of the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council to begin Grade 7 examinations this week as a vindication of its recent call for all examinations to be deferred due to disruption during the March-June election period and an ongoing strike by most teachers.
Grade 7 exams
were supposed to start on Monday while Ordinary and Advanced Level exams were due
to begin in the middle of this month. But the examinations council had yet to provide timetables and examination material
to schools, sources said.
Union officials said PTUZ representatives met
with Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Stephen Mahere on Monday to urge that exams be
postponed. A ministry spokesman said education officials were still considering the
matter.
PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou
told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the exams council was embarrassed to admit it was unprepared.
