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Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council has dismissed reports that teachers who marked the 2013 Grade 7 examinations were paid US$2 for their services. Recent reports in the media said that teachers in Masvingo were disgruntled with the paltry US$2 that Zimsec had paid them.

The teachers alleged that they were shocked to be handed US$2 at the end of the marking exercise at Masvingo Teachers’ College and initially refused to take the money, but changed their minds after being addressed by a Zimsec official who cooled down tempers.

In a statement on Wednesday, Zimsec director Mr Esau Nhandara said markers were still to be paid for the marking exercise and that payments which had been made were exclusively transport and meal-related.
He said the marking exercise was completed on Sunday.

“Transport costs averaging US$2 were paid to markers from within Masvingo urban among other towns, as reimbursement for transport expenses incurred once-off at US$1 to and US$1 from the marking venues,” he said. Mr Nhandara said for markers residing beyond Masvingo Urban, the costs varied in line with the actual distance travelled by each examiner from their homes to the venue.

He said during marking sessions examiners were not permitted to leave the marking venue and were accommodated and provided with food or cash in lieu for meals accordingly.

“Markers are still to be paid for the marking exercise as it is only upon completion of the entire marking exercise that individual markers’ fees can be ascertained from the number of scripts marked,” Mr Nhandara said.

“Any outstanding subsistence allowances would also be paid up on completion of the exercise.”
He said the payment of marking and subsistence allowances would be effected as normal to the examiners through individual accounts.

On Tuesday, teacher representative bodies warned Zimsec that it risks losing qualified examination markers, compromising the credibility of the local examinations.

The bodies said Zimsec would lose more qualified markers this year because of its failure to pay markers on time and exposing them to squalid living conditions during the period they were marking the examinations.

In an interview with the ZBC News, Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said qualified teaching personnel had registered their concerns with his organisation and they were proposing that Zimsec revises its payment structure before engaging markers for this year’s Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations.

Mr Majongwe said the disgruntlement by markers was likely to compromise the credibility of the examinations.
Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe chief executive Mr Manuel Nyawo said Zimsec should recognise markers as professionals who contribute to the country’s human resource base, hence the need to show appreciation by paying them reasonable allowances on time.