THE Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) is grappling with serious financial and infrastructural challenges that are threatening the integrity and smooth delivery of national examinations, a parliamentary report has revealed.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education released the report following an assessment of Zimsec’s examination infrastructure, operational capacity and financial constraints.
Zimsec’s ability to expand and modernise its examination infrastructure is hampered by recurring budget deficits and delayed government disbursements.
According to the report, Zimsec is owed a staggering US$71 million by the government as of March this year.
The arrears, stemming largely from delayed reimbursements under the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam), have severely hindered the council’s ability to develop secure and efficient examination infrastructure.
During a visit to Zimsec’s Norton headquarters, the committee was briefed on the urgent need to raise US$4 million to install a secondary examination processing line and back-up equipment.
The investment is seen as critical to reducing the council’s current single-point-of-failure risk in printing and marking operations during overlapping examination cycles.
Zimsec officials revealed that security contracts with the Zimbabwe Republic Police were straining the council's budget, with each police officer costing US$22 per day, resulting in annual security costs exceeding US$1 million.
Additionally, during peak periods, Zimsec spends up to US$13 645,19 daily on hired transport and pays US$100 per day for archival storage at Bindura University due to space shortage.
“During its assessment of examination infrastructure and financial constraints, the committee visited Zimsec’s Norton headquarters and was briefed on the urgent requirement to mobilise US$4 million for a secondary processing line and backup equipment suite,” the report said.
“This investment was said to be critical to ensuring uninterrupted printing of examinations and marking operations during concurrent cycles. Inclusive of Beam arrears, total government fee arrears stood at US$71 million as of March 2025.”
The committee said the arrears directly derailed planned capital projects, including the Midlands permanent office site, bought in 2012 at a cost of US$145 000 and remains undeveloped as a result of lack of an estimated US$850 000 construction budget, while the Lupane regional hub requires US$1,2 million to break ground.
The report detailed wide regional disparities in examination infrastructure.
While some centres like the Matabeleland South Regional Hub in Gwanda — completed at a cost of US$1,7 million — meet Zimsec’s security and functionality standards, several others continue to operate under challenging conditions.
In Bulawayo, Zimsec’s regional office functions from a dilapidated municipal building plagued by overcrowding, noise pollution, an out-dated sewer system and inadequate secure storage.
Examination materials are stored at rented facilities such as Founders High School and the United College of Education, increasing logistical burden and risks.
In Lupane, Matabeleland North, plans for a provincial examination hub on a 1,5-hectare site with boreholes are still in the design phase due to funding constraints.
Meanwhile, Zimsec’s makeshift Bulawayo-based operations are being hampered by acute file storage space shortages, undermining administrative efficiency.
The report also said remote districts like Binga and Gokwe faced high logistical risks due to poor roads and vast distances.
In Gokwe, for example, examination scripts should move over 150km on unpaved roads from Chaplin High School in Gweru.
In Matabeleland South, Nkashe Secondary School incurs more than US$8 700 in transport costs each cycle to move papers for just 20km.
The committee also said during the site visits, it received widespread reports of delayed invigilator payment, from Cherutombo High in Mashonaland East to Founders High in Bulawayo, triggering work stoppages and last-minute timetable changes.
“Although invigilation is officially a MoPSE [Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education]-mandated duty for teachers, unpaid or late allowances have forced satellite schools such as Insukamini in the Midlands to wait longer for Zimsec officers to collect scripts, compelling teaching staff to juggle multiple roles and deepening burnout across an already skeletal workforce,” the committee report said.
“While Zimsec does not disburse invigilation fees directly, these payment delays represent a critical operational bottleneck that undermines secure, timely and standardised exam administration.”