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More than 532,000 students risk missing out on their final examinations this year after the government’s Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) debt to the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) has ballooned to $6,4 million.
The debt accrued is in respect of 2023 and 2024, Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo told parliamentarians on Thursday.
BEAM is a scheme that was introduced by government to assist some less privileged primary and secondary school students with their fees.
But Treasury has struggled to settle its obligations with the national examinations body, falling behalf by a massive $6,4 million in terms of arrears.
Moyo said ZIMSEC was threatening to bar BEAM beneficiaries from sitting for the crucial examinations this year.
“An equivalent of US$6.4 million is owed to ZIMSEC as exam fees for 532,963 Grade 7, Forms 4 and Form 6 students.
“Even now, I was being asked by the permanent secretary to say there are students who definitely are not going to write their examinations.
“If we don’t give a promissory note to ZIMSEC, they will not be able to write,” he said.
Moyo said government’s failure to settle its arrears was drawing unnecessary stigmatisation around beneficiaries of the scheme.
He said BEAM was covered in the national budget for this year but disbursement has been elusive.
He added, “In 2023, a partial payment was made in local currency totaling ZW$19.9 billion to cover fees for 434,705 primary school students.
“However, no secondary schools were paid. Schools that submitted claims in United States dollars were not paid.
“There are some schools which submitted and say ‘we were owed in USD, but that we have not paid’.
“As of 2023, a total of USD $56.7 million, primary and secondary schools, and US$83,825 for special schools remains outstanding. So we have huge arrears in 2023.”
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