Zimbabwe is cutting ZIMSEC exam fee aid for pupils whose families can pay. Kids who need help will still get it, though. The new plan puts state funds toward poor households rather than giving each pupil the same deal.
At a Cabinet briefing in Harare, Information Minister Dr Zhemu Soda laid out the shift. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube had pushed for a change to the way exam costs get paid, and Cabinet backed his plan.
Here's the backstory. The state first helped cover exam bills in 2020, paying 53% while parents paid 47%. That deal changed in 2021, when public funds took on 55%, and families had to find the other 45%.
But Ncube saw a flaw. Even well-off families got aid, while the scheme failed to target kids with the least cash. Fair point, since that meant scarce funds went to homes that did not need a hand.
Rural primary and high school pupils will still qualify. The same goes for kids at satellite schools and those under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). Aid through BEAM is set to run until 2028.
Meanwhile, the cost of exam aid has put more strain on state funds. Ncube warned that other public needs also call for cash. Keeping the old deal for each pupil was getting hard to fund.
Beyond the fee cuts, officials want ZIMSEC exams to stay funded and secure, with enough cash to keep them running. The real test is whether the new rules reach the kids who need help most.
At a Cabinet briefing in Harare, Information Minister Dr Zhemu Soda laid out the shift. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube had pushed for a change to the way exam costs get paid, and Cabinet backed his plan.
Here's the backstory. The state first helped cover exam bills in 2020, paying 53% while parents paid 47%. That deal changed in 2021, when public funds took on 55%, and families had to find the other 45%.
But Ncube saw a flaw. Even well-off families got aid, while the scheme failed to target kids with the least cash. Fair point, since that meant scarce funds went to homes that did not need a hand.
Rural primary and high school pupils will still qualify. The same goes for kids at satellite schools and those under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). Aid through BEAM is set to run until 2028.
Meanwhile, the cost of exam aid has put more strain on state funds. Ncube warned that other public needs also call for cash. Keeping the old deal for each pupil was getting hard to fund.
Beyond the fee cuts, officials want ZIMSEC exams to stay funded and secure, with enough cash to keep them running. The real test is whether the new rules reach the kids who need help most.
