The Grade 7 pass rate for Bulawayo schools has steadily risen over the past three years from 48, 3% in 2009 to 78,9% this year.
Addressing guests at round-table discussion organised by the European Union (EU) delegation in the city yesterday, provincial education director Dan Moyo however said Grade 7 results for schools in Matabeleland North and South remained low.
“From our latest recordings we discovered that Grade 7s did very well last year in Bulawayo but the pass rate for the ‘A’ level and ‘O’ Level results have not yet been calculated,” he said.
“This is a remarkable improvement from the results for 2010 and 2009.
“For Matabeleland North the recent 2011 pass rate for Grade 7 is 14, 99%, improving from the 14, 08% recorded in 2010 and the 10,59% recorded in 2009,” he said.
“For Matabeleland South the Grade 7 pass rate for last year is 34, 88%, in 2010 it was 29, 62% and in 2009 it was 29, 92%.”
Moyo attributed the low pass rate in the two provinces to inadequate learning space, furniture and the long distances pupils walk to the schools.
“We also have a shortage of specialist rooms which results in a constrained curriculum as well as specialist subject equipment shortfalls which include subjects like chemistry, biology and physics,” he said. “We are lagging behind in terms of e – learning and have demotivated staff.”
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Moyo said the Basic Education Assistance Module had assisted many orphans and vulnerable children in accessing education in the region, but it still fails to reach all of the children in need.
