Deputy head, teacher get community service and sus...

Deputy head, teacher get community service and suspended jail time for exam leaks

Two educators stationed in Matabeleland North, deputy head and an English teacher, have been sentenced to 36 months jail terms each for leaking the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) O-level English (paper 1) to candidates at the school.

Deputy headmaster at Sipepa High School in Tsholotsho district Brian Mazendami ,41, of 20596 Pumula South, Bulawayo and English teache at the same institution, Makosini Mondela, 50, of Sipepa Line in Tsholotsho were convicted on their own pleas of guilty to criminal abuse of duty as public officers and contravening Section 35(a) and (b) of the Zimsec Act.

The sentences were commuted into suspended 18 months of jail timeon the condition that they do not within that period commit a similar offence with the option of perform 630 hours of community service each in lieu of the other 18 months.

https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/1086/zimsec-to-nullify-exam-cheats-results-no-re-writes

http://https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/668/exam-paper-seller-posts-exam-in-progress-on-whatsapp

https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/682/another-zimsec-o-level-exam-paper-leaks

https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/706/call-for-zimsec-overhaul-as-exam-paper-leaks-get-of-hand

Mondela will perform community service at Jakalasi Primary School in Tsholotsho while Mazendami will do his stint of unpaid labour at Godlwayo Primary School in Pumula.

The prosecutor, Ms Sharon Phiri stated the charges as that October 14, 2022, at around 4PM, Mazendami and Mondela opened the strong room, where the examination papers were kept, took out a sealed envelope containing English Language paper 1 (4005/01) November 2022 examination and copied two questions before returning the envelope to the strong room.

Mazendami then coached a number of selected students on how to answer the questions, correcting their draft answers upon submission.

An anonymous letter to Zimsec resulted in investigations at Sipepa High School leading to the arrest of the two staff members.