A serious case of alleged exam cheating at Focus Academy Private Boarding School, located on Lilian Drive in Waterfalls, Harare, has raised concerns about the integrity of the 2024 June and November exams.
It is suspected that the monitor overseeing the exams at the school was bribed by the school’s board of directors to leave the exam room during test periods, allowing cheating to take place.
The results from this school are under scrutiny, with claims that the answers on the exam papers were suspiciously similar, indicating widespread cheating among the students. Subjects including Shona, Heritage, English, Combined Science, Geography, Mathematics, Accounts, Business Studies, and History are among those where answers appeared unnaturally uniform.
One of the main appeals is for the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) to investigate these allegations by reviewing the exam sheets and the answers provided by the students. The concern is that students were receiving assistance during the exams, including potentially AI-generated answers.
Reports indicate that teachers were providing answers to students during exams, a practice that allegedly started with a few senior teachers but became widespread by the November exam period. Despite six teachers resigning earlier in the year to distance themselves from these actions, many other teachers continued to engage in these practices.
ALSO READ: City Parking Boss Accused of Misusing Funds and Failing Investments
The ZIMSEC monitor, named Jongwe, is also being called into question, with claims that they were complicit in the cheating by allowing these actions to take place. Some external candidates, who were sitting their final exams at the time, have reported witnessing the cheating firsthand, and they are now urging ZIMSEC to take action.
There is a growing concern among parents and former students that Focus Academy is misleading them by presenting false academic achievements. The school is accused of “teaching” students to cheat rather than actually educating them. Those responsible for the cheating, including teachers and exam monitors, must be investigated and held accountable.
With no phone evidence allowed in exam rooms, the call is now being made for ZIMSEC to thoroughly examine the exam sheets for irregularities and similarities that could provide concrete evidence of the cheating. This investigation is crucial to restoring faith in the integrity of the national exams and ensuring that students are properly assessed.
Parents are being urged to reconsider sending their children to Focus Academy in 2025, as it is feared that the school is fostering an environment where cheating is normalized rather than genuine learning taking place.
This tip-off calls for the attention of both ZIMSEC and the police to take the necessary steps to investigate and address the alleged misconduct. The public is encouraged to share this information widely to ensure that the truth is uncovered and that those responsible are held accountable.
