Grade 7 results under scrutiny

A STUDY of Grade 7 results is underway to establish the challenges encountered by schools and pupils, which saw some learning institutions registering a zero percent pass rate, the Government has said.

Further, the Government is working towards ensuring that all parts of the country have access to the internet so that everyone accesses online lessons.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema had briefed her that his ministry was keen to get to the root of challenges faced by schools.

Responding to questions from Senators on Thursday, Minister Mutsvangwa, who is also Leader of Government Business in Senate, said while there had been Covid-19-induced disturbances in schools, the relevant ministry was keen to know the extent of the challenges which saw some schools registering zero percent pass rate.

Midlands Senator Tsitsi Muzenda (Zanu-PF), wanted to know to what extend had absence of e-learning contributed to the low pass rate, particularly those in rural areas.

"With regards to the Grade Seven results, I have been talking to Honourable Mathema who said there is a study being conducted to establish challenges that were faced by these schools which obtained zero percent (pass rate)," she said.

"The Ministry of ICT is doing everything within their purview to make sure that the whole country has network and children are able to access e-learning and not just to sit at home.

"That is why you are seeing money being channelled towards devolution so that everyone is involved in the development of this country. E-learning is very important to us as a country. A lot is being done by the Government to make sure that everyone is glued on e-learning."

Minister Mutsvangwa said children had not been going to school owing to the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed many people across the world.

"It has greatly affected the education sector," she said.

"Yes, it is true that there have been disturbances in the education sector in this country. However, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is not going to leave any stone unturned.

"They are doing everything they can to make sure that children find something to do with regards to educating them."

Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira implored the Government to extend their research to schools that registered 100 percent pass rates since in his view, such a pass rate might be suspicious given that pupils were not going to school.

Meanwhile, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe said the Government had engaged the private sector in its quest to rationalise settlements.

"Government will come or invite the private sector or any other players to build vertical buildings or flats," he said.

"This is what we are calling densification. We have said in the policy that 40 percent of all the land set aside for human settlement must be set aside for the provision of vertical buildings or flats. That is the programme that Government is running right now."