Zimpapers Logo

Marvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
A TOTAL of 20 out of 134 schools in Matabeleland South Province recorded a zero percent pass rate in the Ordinary Level examinations last year with Umzingwane District having five of the worst performing schools.
According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s results analysis, only eight schools recorded a zero percentage pass rate in 2012 which means the situation is getting worse.

Umzingwane topped the list of poor performing schools followed by Gwanda District with four schools while Bulilima, Matobo and Insiza Districts had three schools each and two are from Mangwe.

In 2012 the eight schools that recorded zero percent pass rates were SK Moyo, Sibula and Mabheka from Gwanda District, Sikhoveni and Bayethe both from Umzingwane District, St Sebastian (Matobo), Mambale (Mangwe) and and Siyazama (Insiza).

The eight schools again recorded zero percent pass rate last year.
They were joined by Shale, Dula, Bezha, all from Umzingwane District , Avoca and Mwele from Insiza, Maqhekeni, Siyaphambili and Tokwana from Bulilima,  Zamanyoni and Seula from Matobo, Sanzukwi (Mangwe) and Halisupi (Gwanda).

Surprisingly, in 2012 Avoca recorded a 17,65percent pass rate while Seula had 17,4percent.
The schools that had recorded zero percent pass rates in 2012 but improved last year are Insiza schools namely Shangani (18,42percent) which ranked position 32 despite being a satellite school, Thokozani

(11,11percent), Mpumelelo (10 percent) while Gwanda schools that also improved are Makwe (9percent), Lushongwe (8,33percent) and Nyandeni (4,17percent).
From Matobo District, Ratanyana also improved and recorded 10,42percent and so was Donkwe-Donkwe which recorded 6,67 percent and Lubhangwe which had 5,26percent.

Bulilima schools that improved from zero percent pass rates are Bezu which recorded 8,7 percent and Bambadzi with 5percent  as well as Maninji from Mangwe which recorded 4,17percent.

Irisvale (Umzingwane) recorded a 5,26 percent pass rate while Beitbridge schools Malikukwa and Siyoka recorded 4,55 percent and 3,45 percent pass rates respectively.

Matabeleland South Province last year recorded a 1,1percent increase in pass rate to 23,86 percent compared to 21,75 percent recorded in 2012.
Bulilima remains the province’s best district as it recorded the highest pass rate of 38,97percent last year declining from the 43,56 percent it achieved in 2012. It is however the only district which recorded a pass rate decline last year.

Umzingwane District followed with 24,70 percent from 20,50 percent of 2012 and Mangwe improving from 20,87 percent of 2012 to 24,03percent last year.
On fourth position is Matobo with 22,96 percent from the 17percent recorded in 2012  and Gwanda  recorded 22,50 percent compared to  19,98percent in 2012 while Insiza recorded 20,70percent from 17,79 percent in 2012.

Although Beitbridge did not record any zero percent pass rate, it recorded the lowest overall rate of 15,17percent which however is an improvement from the 14,58percent of 2012.

Out of the 7,904 candidates that sat for five or more subjects, a total of 1,886candidates (23,86percent) passed five or more subjects whereas 2,377 candidates (30,07percent) did not pass a single subject.

Candidates who passed five subjects or more including Mathematics and Science were 856 (10,83percent).
The subjects with 100 percent passes were Design and Technology and Physical Education (PE).

The province has over the years been faced with a serious shortage of Science and Mathematics teachers, and some schools are reported to have gone for years without teachers in one or both of the two subjects.

Some schools do not have science laboratories and as such children cannot do practicals.
Last year only 4,609 candidates sat for Intergrated Science examinations and 1,003 candidates (21,76 percent) passed.

Only 1,215 candidates (19,41percent) out of 6,259 candidates that sat for Mathematics passed.
The top ten schools in the province are all boarding schools with Mzingwane recording a 20,91percent improvement while Matopo also improved its pass rate by 20,23percent.

Wanezi is the only school in the top 10 that recorded a decline to 57,66percent from 59,8percent.