Published: 16 hours ago

A parliamentary public hearing on the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) Amendment Bill (H.B.4, 2025) collapsed in Marondera after only two people showed up, in what observers described as a major setback in efforts to shape a key law for the education sector.

The meeting, convened by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education chaired by Nyanga South MP Supa Mandiwanzira, had to be abandoned due to the poor turnout.

Mandiwanzira said the apathy was a disservice to Zimbabwe's law-making process, warning that it undermined attempts to craft legislation affecting millions of pupils, teachers and parents.

"So today, unfortunately, because the turnout was very low, we felt that going ahead with the amount of people that were there would be a disservice to the nation of Zimbabwe, our role as MPs and particularly as members of the committee on Primary and Secondary Education," he said.

The MP dismissed suggestions that legislators benefit from poor attendance at public hearings, insisting that such claims were unfounded.

"I think that it is obviously quite far-fetched to suggest that a low turnout is a method for legislators to get money. How do they get money when there's a low turnout? We don't get paid as legislators for a low turnout, neither do we get paid for a higher turnout," he explained.

However, Mandiwanzira conceded that poor publicity had contributed to the low numbers and pledged to strengthen mobilisation ahead of future hearings. He said the committee would enlist the help of local MPs, schools and community radio platforms to raise awareness.

"We will call upon every Member of Parliament in the area where we are going to have these meetings to use their own infrastructure to mobilise. We will also ask schools to spread the message to parents through students because this is a very important process," he added.

The committee is expected to reconvene this week to set a new date to return to both Marondera and Harare for the consultations.

The ZIMSEC Amendment Bill is regarded as a significant piece of legislation with far-reaching implications for Zimbabwe's education system, and lawmakers fear that continued public apathy could weaken its legitimacy.
- online

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