Exam cheats to be jailed 9yrs

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

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 Speaking at the same briefing, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Torerai Moyo, said the measures were meant to deter those engaged in illicit practices. 

Debra Matabvu

INDIVIDUALS convicted of leaking public examination question papers can be locked up for to nine years in prison, while schools found guilty of the same offence will be deregistered and closed.

This is contained in new regulations proposed to curb cheating.

The proposed regulations also state that those found guilty of impersonating and sitting for examinations on behalf of learners will also face imprisonment.

The penalties form part of the Zimbabwe School Examination Amendment Bill that was approved by Cabinet yesterday.

The Bill will also seek to strengthen the operational efficiency of the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) board and streamline its functions.

Speaking during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said the objective of the Bill was to eliminate leakages at examination centres across the country.   

“Cabinet considered and approved the Zimbabwe School Examination Amendment Bill,” Dr Muswere said.

“The decision to amend the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council Act [Chapter 25:18] is to address challenges obtaining in the education sector, in particular, examination leakages, registration anomalies and fraudulent practices at some examination centres countrywide.

“The Zimbabwe School Examinations Amendment Bill, 2024, therefore has inter-alia, the following objectives: streamlining Board functions to provide for the deregistration of non-compliant examination centres; strengthening of the operational efficiency of the Board; and reviewing of penalties for examination malpractices. More critically, the Bill eliminates leakages across all examination centres.”

Speaking at the same briefing, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Torerai Moyo, said the measures were meant to deter those engaged in illicit practices. 

“It should be noted that on leakages, we have had leakages especially in 2022 where more than five examination question papers leaked, especially, for Ordinary Level,” Minister Moyo said.

“To address this mischief, we have come with this new Bill. According to section 141 of the Constitution, the general public will decide as they make submissions to the Bill, they will decide on the penalties, but what we are proffering as a solution is imprisonment of those culprits. We are likely to come up with penalties, for leakage of one paper, one may be imprisoned for a period that exceeds nine years so that it becomes a deterrent measure to those who may want to engage in that criminal act.”

Minister Moyo also added: “Another measure is the deregistration of examination centres.

“We are going to penalise those schools, registered or not. In the majority of cases unregistered centres as compared to registered centres (are often the culprits). So, we are going to deal decisively with this by deregistering these centres.

“Another way is the issue of impersonation, where someone will masquerade as a bona fide student, writing the examination for another person. Those that will be caught will also face the same music and go to jail.”

Previously, those found guilty of similar offences faced up to a year in jail. However, the courts prescribed community service for most culprits.