'Exam cheats' take Zimsec to court

TWO Ordinary Level students, who were denied their results over alleged cheating have sued the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) demanding their release.

The students, Ashley Mutandwa and Jimmy Chinembiri have approached the High Court seeking an order compelling Zimsec to release the results of their Maths examination papers

They submitted that they sat for their examination at Vimbai High School and passed Mathematics Paper 2 with high marks, but in some instances, provided wrong workings with correct answers.

Zimsec failed to prove that they had cheated.

"Chinembiri and I are among ‘O' Level students that sat for a Mathematics Paper 2 (4004/02) in the November 2020 session. Pursuant to having written the examinations, and on the 8th June 2021, Zimsec communicated to our respective schools that it had withheld all our results on the basis that we were part of a group of students who had ‘accessed' the Mathematics Paper 2 question paper via social media," Mutandwa said in his affidavit to the court.

"Zimsec has failed to link either of us to the examination malpractice and only base their argument on the fact that we passed one paper with flying colours and failed the other."

They said the refusal by Zimsec to release their results was infringing their constitutional right to proceed with their education.

"Zimsec has not treated this matter fairly and with the urgency that it deserves," the pair's lawyer, Nyasha Chiota submitted.

"Zimsec has failed to prove that indeed there was a commission of an examination malpractice by the applicants."

The matter is pending.