Zimbabwe's premier secondary schools, widely regarded as 'A' category institutions, have rapidly reached full enrolment capacity for the 2026 Form 1 intake, signalling the intense pressure on parents following the recent release of Grade 7 examination results.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education confirmed this week that the Electronic Ministry Application Platform for Form 1 places is "progressing well," but noted that a significant list of high-demand schools has already declared their quotas FULL. This swift subscription highlights the chronic shortage of places in high-performing boarding schools across the country.
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The official statement from the Ministry named the following 11 schools, comprising some of the country's most sought-after mission and government boarding institutions, as having completed their Form 1 enrolment: Goromonzi, Mutendi, Holy Ghost, Nyatsime, Anderson (Gweru), Sandringham, Moleli, Waddilove, St Anthony, Regina Mundi (Gweru), and Kriste Mambo. The closure of enrolment at these elite institutions comes just days after the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council released the Grade 7 results. The eMAP system, introduced to streamline the application process and enhance transparency by minimizing the manual submission of forms, is now the primary battleground for parents vying for the limited slots.
The rapid closure of these top schools immediately escalates the scramble for Form 1 places for thousands of other pupils who performed well but missed the chance for their first-choice school. The pressure is particularly acute on parents whose children attained high marks, as they are now forced to urgently explore alternatives in less popular or day schools.
Education officials have previously acknowledged the significant gap between the demand for boarding places and the actual capacity available. The early subscription of these schools underscores the long-standing issue of mounting enrolment pressures that Zimbabwe's education sector faces annually, compelling parents to apply immediately upon the opening of the eMAP platform.
The Ministry is yet to provide a statement on the total number of applications received through eMAP or advise on which schools still have available vacancies for the remaining applicants.
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