Gokwe North Schools Face Crackdown After 0% O’ Level Pass Rates

By Everisto Zhuwao

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo, has declared “zero tolerance for zero percent” after several schools across the country recorded a 0% pass rate in the 2025 Ordinary Level examinations.

Gokwe North has become the first focus of the nationwide intervention after 10 secondary schools in the district failed to produce a single O’ Level pass, a development that has triggered urgent inspections and performance reviews.

“We cannot allow any school to record zero percent. Every child deserves a fair chance to succeed,” said Minister Moyo.

According to education officials, the affected schools had candidates sitting for between 10 and 35 subjects each, yet none managed to obtain the minimum five O’ Level passes required for progression to Advanced Level or other tertiary opportunities.

Nationally, Zimbabwe’s O’ Level pass rate has averaged between 28 and 32 percent in recent years, but rural districts such as Gokwe North have often fallen below that mark due to shortages of qualified teachers, inadequate learning materials, and weak infrastructure.

“Performance must improve, and there will be accountability at every level. We are raising standards across the country,” said Minister Moyo.

Government says the intervention will include closer monitoring of school heads, the deployment of experienced teachers to struggling institutions, and intensified remedial lessons for examination classes.

Authorities believe stronger supervision and improved teaching support will help reverse the decline and restore confidence in public education.

“This is not about punishment, but about restoring quality and ensuring no learner is left behind,” the Minister said.

Gokwe’s education system traces its roots to missionary and community schools established in the 1960s and 1970s, before expanding rapidly after Independence in 1980 as Government prioritised universal access to education.

Today, Gokwe North and South together have more than 200 primary schools and over 40 secondary schools serving thousands of learners in predominantly rural communities.

Despite improved enrolment over the decades, examination performance remains a concern, with poverty, long distances to school, and limited access to electricity and digital learning tools continuing to affect outcomes