Outcry over “peanuts” ZIMSEC marking fees

Staff Reporter

ANOTHER wave of complaints of peanuts marking fees by the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council at the ongoing Ordinary and Advance Level exercise has been raised.

Last year the examinations organ made headlines after paying teachers $16 000 for the marking exercise.  

This time , ZIMSEC is at it again amid complaints by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) secretary general Robson Chere confirming the complaints from some of their members marking examinations.

“Our members have made it clear that it would have been better if they were paid in hard currency not at the interbank exchange rate to augment the little they are already getting from government,” said Chere.

“We have received a number of complaints on this and we are hoping their calls for an increase are heard before they too go on strike as we do not want that to be the result at the end of the day.”

Chere said some of the examiners were complaining that some of the allowances were paid way after the agreed dates, a situation that has further worsened the crisis.

However, Zimsec spokesperson Nicholette Dlamini said such news has not reached her offices.

 “We have not yet received such reports; if there are examiners that are disgruntled they should raise them with relevant authorities so that we are able to deal with their grievances,” said Dlamini.

“If they are disgruntled we do not know the manner in which they are disgruntled as all our marking venues have recorded that they have enough examiners to go ahead with marking.” Grade 7 examiners also queried Zimsec operations after the board delayed to pay them dues it owed them after marking the 2021 examinations