HARARE – Nine ZIMSEC Ordinary Level candidates were blocked from writing an exam by a Harare school over “inappropriate” haircuts, primary and secondary education minister Torerayi Moyo revealed on Tuesday. The incident was tabled before cabinet, which ordered “remedial action” after hearing that the learners had been unlawfully denied access to their Family and Religious Studies Paper 2 exam. Moyo told journalists during a post-cabinet briefing that the school’s headmaster and director had since been arrested for “violating the fundamental rights of students to education and accessing examinations.” The pupils had successfully written Paper 1, but were turned away from the examination room for the second paper over their hairstyles.
They rushed to correct the “inappropriate” hairdos and returned after about 30 minutes, but were still barred as ZIMSEC only permits a 15-minute grace period, Moyo said. Cabinet, he added, was “concerned” that the school’s conduct breached ministry guidelines and national regulations that guarantee equitable access to education. To ensure the pupils are not disadvantaged, Moyo said authorities will use an aggregate system to award them marks, taking into account the performance of the school’s top four and bottom four candidates. The headmaster and the director are expected to appear in court on December 9.
