By Naledi Nyoni
HARARE — A teachers’ union and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education have offered sharply different interpretations of Zimbabwe’s 3 percent June 2026 ZIMSEC Ordinary Level pass rate.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) said the results were a symptom of broader structural problems affecting public education, including underfunding, poor teacher remuneration, shortages of qualified teachers and limited access to learning resources.
Ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro rejected ARTUZ’s conclusion that the results reflected a deepening crisis in education, arguing that the figures required context because the June examination session largely involved candidates improving individual subjects.
“The Ministry categorically rejects ARTUZ’s characterization of the 3% Ordinary Level pass rate as evidence of a ‘deepening crisis’ in Zimbabwe’s education system,” Ndoro said.
ARTUZ said June examination results had historically been lower than those recorded in November because the session mainly serves private candidates, repeat candidates and learners who missed previous examinations.
However, the union argued that the persistent decline in performance required urgent policy attention rather than dismissal of the figures.
“These results should not be viewed just as statistics but as a reflection of the broader crisis affecting public education,” ARTUZ said.
The union said many June candidates were learners seeking a second chance after being failed by economic pressures and barriers within the education system.
ARTUZ called for targeted support for June candidates, including affordable examination fees, improved access to learning opportunities and interventions to increase their chances of success.
It also challenged the country’s heavy focus on attaining five Ordinary Level passes as the main measure of achievement, arguing that such an approach sidelines learners with strengths outside conventional academic subjects.
“Every learner possesses unique talents that should be identified, nurtured and developed from an early stage,” ARTUZ said.
The union called for greater investment in vocational education, technical training and early identification of skills that can provide young people with alternative pathways beyond academic qualifications.
Ndoro said ZIMSEC board chairperson Professor Paul Mapfumo had indicated that only 291 of the 37,065 registered candidates sat for five or more subjects, making up 0.78 percent of the candidature.
He said most June candidates were repeat learners seeking improved grades rather than students pursuing full certification, making the overall pass rate unsuitable as a measure of the education system’s performance.
The ministry also highlighted the 67.74 percent Advanced Level pass rate recorded in the same examination period, saying the improvement demonstrated continued progress in some areas.
“This robust performance at A-Level demonstrates that the education system continues to produce strong results where candidates are properly prepared,” Ndoro said.
ARTUZ’s concerns over teacher shortages, remuneration and learning conditions remain part of a long-running debate over the quality of Zimbabwe’s public education system.
The ministry rejected those concerns, saying government had invested in infrastructure, learning materials and teacher development programmes.
Ndoro said claims that resource shortages were responsible for poor examination outcomes were “unsubstantiated and politically motivated”.
On calls for greater assistance for June candidates, the ministry said most learners in that category were private or repeat candidates and therefore fell outside existing support arrangements.
“The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Honourable Torerayi Moyo, has previously explained that candidates sitting the June public examinations, as most of them are private candidates or repeat candidates and therefore do not fall within the scheme’s eligibility criteria,” Ndoro said.
The ministry said it was also addressing concerns over narrow academic pathways through the Heritage-Based Curriculum, which incorporates technical and vocational education, agriculture, ICT, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Ndoro said the curriculum was designed to prepare learners for different career pathways through programmes including STEAM, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Humanities and Commercials.
While government maintained that the June results had been misinterpreted, ARTUZ insisted that examination statistics could not be separated from the wider conditions facing teachers and learners.
The dispute highlights a continuing fault line in Zimbabwe’s education debate — whether poor examination outcomes are primarily a reflection of candidate demographics or deeper challenges affecting the country’s schools.
