HARARE – The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) announced on Friday that 45.57 percent of learners who sat for the 2023 Grade 7 examinations passed, reflecting a slight improvement from the 2022 results.
Zimsec board chairman Professor Eddie Mwenje disclosed the outcomes, noting that candidates can collect their results starting Monday, and they are also available online on the exams body’s website.
Prof Mwenje highlighted the positive trend, stating, “This is an increase of 5.48 percent in candidates’ performance… This could be attributed to the return to the normal school calendar after the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and also various interventions by the ministry of primary and secondary education in terms of teaching and learning.”
In comparison to 2022, the pass rate has risen from 40.09 percent to the current 45.57 percent, reflecting a marked improvement in learner performance.
A total of 372,603 candidates undertook the six mandatory subjects, indicating a 7.89 percent increase from the previous year’s 343,169 candidates.
Gender-wise, 193,520 female candidates and 179,083 male candidates participated in the exams.
The pass rate for female candidates stood at 49.56 percent, while male candidates achieved a pass rate of 41.21 percent.
Special needs candidates also demonstrated improvement, with a total of 357 individuals sitting for the exams and an average pass rate of 42.99 percent.
This marks an increase from the 29.8 percent pass rate recorded in 2022 when there were 323 special needs candidates.
ZIMSEC low pass rate bothers govt
Moses Mhike, the secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, addressed the persistently lower pass rate, attributing it to learners entering Grade 2 without adequate reading and writing skills.
He emphasized the need for concentrated efforts to address these foundational literacy challenges, stating, “According to a survey we conducted, the majority of the learners cannot read and write at Grade 2.
“They cannot comprehend simple and straightforward issues. It means by the time they face a Grade 7 examination, most of them will not be able to comprehend and answer those papers. As a ministry, this is where we need to concentrate.”
