Exam pupils stranded as 11 000 children return from SA

More than 11,000 Zimbabwean children who have returned from South Africa since last month face major disruptions to their education, with concerns mounting that many, particularly Grade 12 learners, may be unable to complete their studies or sit for their National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations scheduled for later this year.

The concerns come amid a sharp increase in the number of Zimbabweans returning from South Africa following recent anti-immigrant tensions and deportations.

Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) Coordinating Committee national coordinator Edward Muchatuta has urged the Zimbabwean and South African governments to work together to ensure affected learners can continue studying under the South African curriculum.

Muchatuta said learners in Grades 10 and 11 had spent more than a decade studying under South Africa's Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), making it difficult to integrate them into Zimbabwe's education system.

"Grades 10 and 11 pupils spent more than 11 years doing the South African CAPS curriculum, including South African languages, and it is impossible to integrate them into the Zimbabwean curriculum and sit for final exams in less than three years," he said.

He also noted that registration for Zimbabwe's Grade Seven national examinations closed in March, leaving newly arrived learners unable to transition smoothly into the next stage of schooling.

"Children arriving from South Africa now are not eligible to transition to Form One. The same disruption is affecting other grades," Muchatuta said.

According to the ZEP Coordinating Committee, 62,816 Zimbabweans have voluntarily returned home so far, including 11,090 children—5,373 boys and 5,717 girls.

Muchatuta proposed that the affected learners continue with the South African curriculum through e-learning programmes, saying the committee had qualified teachers ready to support such an initiative.

Meanwhile, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Zhemu Soda has previously assured the public that all returning learners would be accommodated within Zimbabwe's education system.

Government figures indicate that a total of 89,746 Zimbabweans have so far been repatriated, while 66,237 Malawian nationals have also passed through the Beitbridge Border Post.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure called on the government to urgently establish a standardised bridging and equivalency system for returning learners.

"Many pupils currently in Grade 12 in South Africa are registered to write their final NSC examinations in November 2026, yet these pupils are being pulled out of school due to the forced deportation of their parents and guardians," Masaraure said.

"We ask: how will they prepare and sit for these critical examinations if forced to relocate now?"

He warned that failure to develop transition mechanisms could significantly delay learners' academic progress.

"Without intervention, a 19-year-old Grade 11 pupil will only complete high school at age 22 or 23. This robs them of years and opportunity," he said.

Masaraure added that many of the affected children come from economically vulnerable households whose parents now face unemployment after returning to Zimbabwe.

"We must remember: most of these children are from the households of the lowest-paid workers, mainly domestic workers, who will return to Zimbabwe unemployed," he said.

One Zimbabwean parent still living in South Africa said uncertainty had already begun affecting her son's academic performance.

"Currently we are still in South Africa and my job is still safe, but I don't know what will happen in a few months' time," she said.

"My son who is in Grade 12 is set to write his exams this year. He is going to school, but there is a lot of uncertainty. His friends are always asking if he is still here. He is afraid that one day he will meet the people marching, be harassed by police or something else. This has greatly affected his preparations."

She said returning to Zimbabwe before the completion of his studies could delay his education by several years.

"Going back will set him back another two years to be reintegrated into the school system. Government should establish a few centres in each town around Zimbabwe to allow the children a smooth transition," she said.

Education stakeholders say the situation highlights the need for coordinated engagement between Zimbabwean and South African authorities to minimise disruption to thousands of learners whose education has been affected by the ongoing migration crisis.