Zimbabwe Not Banning Cambridge Exams, Says Minister Moyo as ZIMSEC Policy Takes Shape

Zimbabwe’s Education Minister Torerayi Moyo has clarified that the Government’s directive requiring all schools to register learners for national examinations does not amount to a ban on Cambridge qualifications, but is instead aimed at asserting control over the country’s education system. The policy, which takes effect in 2027, will require every school to enrol students for examinations administered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC), regardless of whether they also offer international curricula.

Speaking earlier in the Senate and later reinforcing his position on the social media platform X on May 1, 2026, Moyo said the move marks the end of parallel examination systems operating outside the national framework.

“From 2027, Zimbabwe will require every school without exception to register its learners for ZIMSEC examinations,” Moyo said. “The era of parallel foreign examination systems operating outside our national framework is over. It’s mandatory for all students to write ZIMSEC.”

Despite concerns from private schools and parents, the minister stressed that international examinations such as Cambridge Assessment International Education are not being outlawed.

“Schools wishing to offer both ZIMSEC and Cambridge should apply for permission to do so, provided there is justification,” he said. “This is not an attack on academic excellence. We are not banning Cambridge examinations. This is an assertion of national sovereignty over our own education system.”

Under the new framework, Cambridge will effectively become a supplementary qualification rather than a standalone alternative, subject to government approval.

Moyo said the reforms are designed to ensure that all learners are assessed under a single, uniform standard that the government can regulate and improve over time.

“Zimbabwe’s children deserve to be assessed against a common, uniform standard one that we can control, benchmark and continually improve,” he said.

He also criticised the long-standing dual system, arguing that it has created inequality in how academic achievement is perceived.

“For too long, a two-tier system has told some children that their futures are validated in Cambridge and told others that ZIMSEC is somehow second best. That ends now.”

The directive applies to all schools, including private institutions, which Moyo said must align with national education policy.

“Private institutions operating on Zimbabwean soil have a clear directive: align with the national framework,” he said. “This is not negotiable. Government policy is unambiguous comply or fall out of step with the direction this Republic is moving.”

The minister emphasised that the ultimate goal is to build a cohesive education system that offers equal recognition to all learners, regardless of background or school type.

“We are building one education system. One standard. One Zimbabwe,” Moyo said. “Every child deserves equal recognition under a national framework that belongs to all of us.”

Education stakeholders say the clarification may ease concerns among schools offering Cambridge programmes, though questions remain about how approvals will be granted and implemented. Analysts note that while the move strengthens national standardisation, it could also reshape Zimbabwe’s private education sector, where international examinations have long been favoured for global university access. Further guidance from the government is expected as schools prepare for the transition ahead of the 2027 implementation deadline.

Zimbabwe ZIMSEC policy