The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) has denied reports that the 2021 Grade 7 results had been released.
A WhatsApp message circulating on social media appeared to have fooled two radio stations – CapiTalk and StarFM – which had to run retractions on Wednesday.
ZIMSEC said marking ended early this week, and there were some processes to follow that would delay the release of the results by at least another week.
Schools have not opened for the first term, with the government citing Covid-19, but teachers’ unions say the delayed release of Grade 7 results is behind the postponement.
Acting President Constantino Chiwenga has set January 7 as a tentative date for the schools opening.
ZIMSEC spokesperson Nicky Dhlamini told an online paper on Thursday: “The results are not yet out. We have to ask parents and pupils to be slightly patient with us.
“As you will recall, exams ended a week before Christmas and marking only started after the New Year. We have not taken more time than previous years, it’s just that the sitting of the exams and the marking started late, compared to prior years.”
Dhlamini said this was also the first time that the Continuous Assessment Learning Activity (CALA) outcomes were being added to the final marks, adding new workloads.
“Marking may have ended this week but that’s not the end. Now we are engaged in the process of grading the marks awarded by the markers, and then we will release the results. That’s a week at least,” she said.