SOME students who sat for their Ordinary Level Geography Paper 1 multi-choice on Tuesday were shocked to find their exam question paper had no map to refer to during the crucial test as it had been omitted.
It is not yet clear if the omission was caused by a printing error or if the batch of the copies printed had no such prior to the setting up of the question paper.
The anomaly was revealed in Parliament by Norton legislator Temba Mliswa who demanded that Primary and Secondary Education minister Cain Mathema present a ministerial statement over a matter he described as “serious”.
During a question-and-answer session Wednesday that was later aborted as Parliament moved to debate the Finance Bill, Mliswa had queried why such a gross error had not been realised before exams started.
Mliswa alleged students continued to write the exams with a missing ‘map’ on some of the copies.
However, it emerged that some students had to write exams in the evening on the same day as they waited for new exam question papers.
A teacher at Gaza High school in Highfield, Harare told NewZimbabwe.com the exam only commenced around 2000hrs after new copies were brought in by ZIMSEC officials.
The ministry is yet to comment on what transpired.
“I have just been informed in my constituency that the geography exams paper had no map countrywide. Why a paper was written without a map. We want an answer from the minister.
“How many more exams will be written without such a Geography paper for that matter?” Mliswa said.
The deputy speaker told Mliswa that it was a specific question which needed more time to get an answer.
Mliswa fumed and withdrew the question as he requested for a ministerial statement instead.
“May I have a ministerial statement tomorrow? This is a serious issue. The whole country having an exam with such an omission,” said an emotional Mliswa. – Newzim
