The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) is an autonomous

parastatal A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

under the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture of the

Republic of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, responsible for the administration of public examinations in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

. Its syllabuses were evaluated by the National Academic Recognitiation Centre (NARIC) in the United Kingdom, and found to be equivalent to the General Certificate Of Education Standard offered in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and the other

English-speaking countries The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers. List * The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The total Engl ...

, hence the internationally recognised qualifications conferred by the Council.

History

The table below shows the brief history of ZIMSEC.

Qualifications

The following qualifications are offered by ZIMSEC: *for primary education ** ZIMSEC Grade Seven Certificate, awarded after sitting for Grade Seven (Year Seven) examinations. *for secondary education ** ZIMSEC General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (commonly referred to as "O-Levels"), this is for individuals doing the 2 year GCE O-Levels subject-based course beginning in Form 3 to Form 4 (i.e. Year 10 and 11) ** ZIMSEC General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (commonly referred to as "A-Levels"), this is the

school leaving qualification A school leaving qualification is an academic qualification awarded for the completion of high school. Depending on the country or region, it may alternatively be known as a high school diploma, senior secondary leaving certificate, high school g ...

conferred by the Council to pupils completing secondary or pre-university education.

References

{{Reflist Education in Zimbabwe School qualifications High school course levels Organizations established in 1996 1996 establishments in Zimbabwe Qualifications awarding bodies