Lazarus Dokora blamed for low pass rate

Teachers unions have attributed the low pass rate recorded in the June Ordinary and Advanced level examinations to government's decision to ban extra lessons and the removal of incentives for teachers.

The unions blamed the record low pass rate on the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora's decision to ban extra lessons while scrapping teachers' incentives.

Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (TUZ) CEO, Mr Manuel Nyawo said the low pass rate is simply a reflection of the low morale among teachers and called for the immediate reversal of the policy before the pass rate plunges further down in the November examinations.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Secretary General, Mr Raymond Majongwe said the passrate is disturbing, adding that if the nation is serious about the education sector, the issue of teachers' incentives should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Efforts to get a comment from Minister Dokora were fruitless as his phone went unanswered while text messages that were sent to him were not replied.

A visit to his offices also failed to bear fruit.

194278 candidates sat for the June Ordinary Level examinations and the average pass rate was 37,96 percent, which is over 13 percent lower than last year's results.

Advanced Level results also showed a decline in the pass rate compared with the last two years.