Zimbabwe To Reward Best Performing Schools In ZIMSEC & Cambridge Examinations

Best Performing Schools To Get National Recognition In 2026

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has unveiled a major new plan to hand out rewards to the country’s highest-achieving schools in ZIMSEC and Cambridge examinations. The initiative, announced by Minister Torerayi Moyo, will see top schools honoured for their 2025 examination results. However, the announcement has ignited an immediate and fierce public debate over the fairness of comparing schools with vastly different resources.

In his statement, Minister Moyo framed the initiative as a broad celebration of educational achievement. He detailed the two-tiered structure of the awards, starting with provincial recognition.

“As part of this initiative, my Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will recognize and award the Top 10 best-performing schools in each province. This will be based on their 2025 pass rates at Grade 7, Ordinary and Advanced Levels,” Moyo announced.

He further explained the vision behind the policy, linking it to national and global educational goals.

“This recognition is a celebration of high performing schools that have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to academic achievement and the holistic development of learners in the provision of equitable, inclusive and quality education in line with SDG 4.”

National Champions To Get Special Prizes

Beyond the provincial honours, a select group of schools will compete for national accolades. Minister Moyo confirmed a major event is planned for March 2026 to celebrate these top performers.

“In addition, we’ll also identify the top 5 best performing schools in the 2025 Zimbabwe School Examinations Council and Cambridge examinations and reward them accordingly on 20 March 2026. Such schools will serve as beacons of excellence and inspiration for others across the entire country, setting a benchmark for quality education and academic performance.”

The Minister also actively sought external funding to support the rewards, inviting potential backers.

“I extend a heartfelt invitation to all individuals, well-wishers, corporates and development partners who wish to support this noble initiative. We welcome sponsorships, awards, grants and any other forms of assistance in order to motivate our hard working teachers and headmasters.”

Public And Experts Question “Uneven Playing Field”

Despite the Minister’s stated goals of equity and inclusion, the core criticism from the public centres on the profound disparity in school conditions. Many argue that rewarding raw pass rates unfairly disadvantages under-resourced institutions.

One X user, Anymore, posed a direct challenge, asking the Minister:

“Is the playing field going to be even expecting someone from Fletcher to perform the same as someone at Chimbindi? Is that not asking too much for the marginalized schools, No internet connectivity, walking long distances to school compared to someone who is chauffeured to class?”

This sentiment was widely echoed. User Wailler highlighted specific resource gaps, stating a school in Muzarabani with no network or proper classrooms “is at a disadvantage to that private school in Harare.”

Calls For Categories Recognising Improvement And Disadvantage

In response to the announcement, commentators proposed alternative award categories to promote greater equity. Wellington Hokonya recommended the ministry should:

“[Consider additional categories] most improved rural school, farm/satellite school, Excellence in disadvantaged. These motivate, recognize efforts in challenging environments.”

A key technical concern was also raised regarding how schools with highly selective intakes would be compared to those accepting all learners. User Phil Mutonhodza asked:

“how are you going to rate them? St Faith takes only 6 pointers for form one! and Mutsambwa takes ma 24 units. if Mutsambwa high records 10 passes, in my opinion, they would have done better than St Faith”

The Ministry has not yet publicly detailed the specific metrics that will be used to judge and compare schools, leaving these pressing questions unanswered.