ZRP roped in to curb exam leakages

POLICE have been engaged to guard public examination papers in transit as part of measures to curb recurrent leakages. Primary and Secondary Education minister Lazarus Dokora told parliament last week that police would help tighten security for the public examinations.

"As a Ministry, we've taken measures to curb exam leakage within our system. For this year in particular, we've deployed additional personnel to ensure that spot checks are made at each and every examination centre particularly in the movement to the venues prior to the writing of those examinations," said Minister Dokora.

"Over and above that, the ministry has requested the Zimbabwe Republic Police to provide security during the transportation of examination materials. Again, I emphasise that, in anticipation of the larger volume at 'O' Level and a smaller volume at 'A' Level." He said similar security arrangements will be provided at examination collection points.

Minister Dokora said there were no reports of leakages for the Grade Seven examinations which ended on Thursday. He said some of the long term measures such as the use of electronic security system apparatus are in the process of implementation. Matabeleland South legislator Priscilla Misihairabwi – Mushonga quizzed the minister about whether they had found the reasons why the examinations papers were leaking.

"Until we're able to print in-house and then track electronically as well as using physical human personnel in the distribution channel, we always run the risk that leakage can occur, either at the point where printing takes place and the examination authority has no control," responded Minister Dokora. He said it was the government's desire to have complete control of the process from the printing through to the distribution. "However, until we achieve that, which we hope to do in the coming year, we still have to rely on third parties printing for us," said Minister Dokora.

He said third parties could be the source of leakages.

"I think the nation is aware when last year the matter came to open court. It (leakage) occurred very close to the printing facility," said Minister Dokora. Last week, the ministry announced that it had introduced an electronic "tamper proof" system to curb public examination paper leakage. Deputy minister Professor Paul Mavhima said a reliable electronic system has been put in place to plug recurrent Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) examination paper leakages.

The "gridlock technology", which the examinations body says was used in South Africa last year, will see question papers placed in sealed boxes with security codes remotely controlled from a command centre at the Zimsec Head Office. The electronic boxes open simultaneously nationwide at a prescribed time and date of writing of an examination. The technology can record attempts to tamper with it.

Headmasters from all the 2,500 'O' Level and 'A' Level centres in the country will only be able to open the boxes using the electronic system. Early this year, Zimsec director Esau Nhandara said the government would spend $5 million on technology to curb the leaking of exam papers.

Zimsec has been battling rampant leakages of examination papers. Last year, four examination papers leaked in the Midlands Province, while in 2012 about 13 examination papers were lost, forcing Zimsec to reset the papers, costing the examination body about $800,000

In 2013, the Geography and Integrated Science exam papers leaked again in the same province. This year's 'O' Level and the 'A' Level examinations started this week.