News / National
Headmaster in court for exam scandal
24 Oct 2024 at 13:13hrs | Views
The headmaster of Ivyluck College, Tafadzwa Chikohora (31), appeared in court yesterday on charges of stealing exam fees intended for three students who were set to sit for their Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) O' Level examinations in November 2024.
Chikohora faces charges of theft of trust property and appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi. He has been remanded in custody until tomorrow for his bail application.
The complainant in the case is the college director, Mr. Lucky Sibanda. Ivyluck College, which offers classes from Form 1 to Form 6, is not a registered Zimsec examination centre, so it relies on other schools, such as Ellis Robins High School, to register its students for national examinations.
According to the State, in May 2024, Chikohora was entrusted with US$729 in exam fees to register three students at Ellis Robins High School for their O' Level exams. Instead, Chikohora allegedly misappropriated the funds for personal use and failed to register the students as agreed.
In an attempt to cover up the theft, Chikohora is accused of forging four exam registration documents to make it appear as though the students had been registered. He also allegedly created counterfeit Zimsec examination papers, which the students then sat for at the Ellis Robins High School laboratory.
After the fake exams were completed, Chikohora is said to have destroyed the counterfeit papers to hide the fraud. However, suspicions were raised when students discussed the exam content, leading to an investigation and Chikohora's arrest.
The court heard that copies of the falsified exam papers were later found on Chikohora's phone. The total loss is US$729, with no funds recovered so far.
Chikohora remains in custody as the case unfolds.
Chikohora faces charges of theft of trust property and appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi. He has been remanded in custody until tomorrow for his bail application.
The complainant in the case is the college director, Mr. Lucky Sibanda. Ivyluck College, which offers classes from Form 1 to Form 6, is not a registered Zimsec examination centre, so it relies on other schools, such as Ellis Robins High School, to register its students for national examinations.
According to the State, in May 2024, Chikohora was entrusted with US$729 in exam fees to register three students at Ellis Robins High School for their O' Level exams. Instead, Chikohora allegedly misappropriated the funds for personal use and failed to register the students as agreed.
In an attempt to cover up the theft, Chikohora is accused of forging four exam registration documents to make it appear as though the students had been registered. He also allegedly created counterfeit Zimsec examination papers, which the students then sat for at the Ellis Robins High School laboratory.
After the fake exams were completed, Chikohora is said to have destroyed the counterfeit papers to hide the fraud. However, suspicions were raised when students discussed the exam content, leading to an investigation and Chikohora's arrest.
The court heard that copies of the falsified exam papers were later found on Chikohora's phone. The total loss is US$729, with no funds recovered so far.
Chikohora remains in custody as the case unfolds.
Source - The Herald
