The Sunday News
Sunday News Reporter
PUPILS who are learning at public schools do not require National Identity Cards to register for Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations, an official has said.
Public schools also include those run by local authorities and the non-profiting mission schools. The clarification comes after thousands of youths, mostly those sitting for Ordinary and Advanced Level public examinations this year, thronged various Civil Registry Department across the country after the department on Wednesday announced it will open its office this weekend to help public examination candidates attain National Identity cards.
“Following the recent receipt of consumables required for the securitisation of IDs, which has since been dispatched to all provinces and districts, the Civil Registry Department wishes to advise its valued clients and members of the public, that it will be issuing IDs to candidates intending to sit for the General Certificate in Education Ordinary and Advanced Level November 2021 Examinations.
“All candidates intending to sit the GCE Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations but do not possess IDs which are required for registration are advised to visit their nearest Civil Registry Offices countrywide from Saturday 26 June to Sunday 27 June 2021 between 0800-1500hrs,” said the Department last Wednesday.
However, the Director of Advocacy and Communication in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Taungana Ndoro, told Sunday News yesterday that only private candidates are required to present Identity Cards when registering for public examinations.
“We have also seen the huge queues of children seeking to get ID cards but the policy is that if you are a formal pupil at a public school you do not need an ID to register to sit for public examinations. IDs are only for those private candidates, people who are coming from non-formal schooling or those who are seeking to supplement subjects.”
Mr Ndoro said a lot of pupils without IDs have already registered for the November public examinations.
In May Zimsec announced that the closing date for payment and submission of entries for this year’s November examinations is 9 July and late entries will close on 30 July. Government also announced a 55 percent subsidy for those writing the examinations in public schools bringing the total cost to $5 194 for seven O-Level subjects and $3 240 for three A-Level subjects. However, those in the public system but who intend to write more subjects will pay the full cost for the extra subjects.
This year’s full cost for O-Level will be $1 648 a subject for candidates at private schools and colleges while those eligible for the subsidy will pay $742 a subject, with a maximum of seven subjects covered by the subsidy.
A-Level exam fees at private schools and colleges are $2 400 a subject and $1 080 a subject in the public system, up to a maximum of four subjects.
The Government scrapped the June public examinations after delays caused by the Covid-19 preventative measures saw last November’s exams overlapping into early this year and there was a late start to the first term this year.
