Candidates registered for Zimsec O-Level and A-Level exams are set to write their examinations as scheduled, beginning today, without certainty if teachers will attend the examinations.

Some teacher unions, Junior Members of Parliament and the Zimbabwe Deaf Trust are still worried that even with safeguards, many candidates may have problems getting to the centres and many are not prepared to write since schools have been closed for almost four months. They thought the exams should be delayed further.

Announcing the progress in Harare yesterday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema stressed that all obligatory processes have been put into place to ascertain “the safety of candidates and invigilators during the course of the examinations”.

“To this end, thermometers, disinfectants, face masks, wash facilities and hand sanitisers have been procured for all examination centres to protect from Covid-19. Examination centres have also been disinfected in line with Ministry of Health and Child Care guidelines.”

Minister Mathema thanked the First Family, the inter-ministerial taskforce against Covid-19, headed by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and other stakeholders for making the June exams a reality through their “guidance and assistance” in readying the centres in tandem with the World Health Organisation guidelines.

The June 2020 examination period for O-Level will run from today to July 20, while the A-Level sessions will begin today and end on July 23.

Teachers unions have vowed to boycott the invigilation of the examinations arguing that the government has failed to meet regulations stipulated by a High Court order to protect teachers and learners against the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The High Court on June 19, ruled that for the examinations to proceed, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Health and Child Care, ZIMSEC had to provide protective resources at all examination centres.

President of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Takavafira Zhou said that teachers’ unions held a meeting, Monday, where they reached a consensus that they will not report for duty until all the World Health Organisation (WHO) requirements are met.

Zhou said the government is in contempt of court and the issue at hand is a matter of life and death hence the teachers are not going to risk their lives by going to work when there are no resources to protect them nor the learners.

“Nothing has been done at the examination centres to ensure that we are protected. Teachers are not employed by ZIMSEC. As it stands no transport allowance has been availed to the teachers to enable them to go to their respective centres. We are still under lockdown, the least ZIMSEC could have done was to craft exemption letters for teachers to travel to places where they will be invigilating but they didn’t,” Zhou said.

“No masks or sanitisers have been availed. Schools have not been disinfected as yet. We are not returning to work until these standards are met. The government has failed to honour the High Court ruling. Life is very precious and as teachers, we have chosen t to preserve it by staying at home.”