HARARE – The Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) announced on Monday that the pass rate for the November 2023 Ordinary Level examinations experienced a notable increase of 4.35 percent, reaching 29.41 percent.
While this improvement is encouraging, concerns persist as only 54,420 out of 185,021 candidates managed to pass at least five subjects.
Professor Eddie Mwenje, the chairperson of the ZIMSEC board, presented an analysis of the results, revealing that 8,631 fewer candidates, constituting a 3.1 percent decrease, sat for the examinations compared to the previous year.
Mwenje did not provide a specific reason for this decline.
“A total of 270,129 candidates sat for the November 2023 examinations compared to 278,760 who sat for the same examinations in 2022,” stated Mwenje.
The breakdown of the pass rates highlighted a positive shift in favor of female candidates, with a pass rate of 30.1 percent, while males recorded a rate of 29.06 percent.
This reflected an increase of 5.03 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively, signaling progress for female students.
Mwenje further detailed that the pass rate for school candidates, those attending regular classes, stood at 30.19 percent.
In comparison, private candidates achieved a pass rate of 21.85 percent, and candidates with special needs recorded a rate of 25.79 percent.
Despite the advancements, challenges persist within the educational landscape. Mwenje urged stakeholders to critically examine the results and contribute to addressing the existing issues.
“The 2023 results show that the percentage pass rate for female candidates was at 30.1 percent while that of males was at 29.06. These percentages increased by 5.03 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively in favour of the girl child,” noted Mwenje.
For the next five days, the results will be available on the ZIMSEC website, providing candidates and their families with access to detailed information about individual performances.
The call for collaborative efforts to enhance the education system remains crucial in ensuring sustained improvement in future examination results.
