ZIMSPHERE
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has moved to rein in what it sees as a growing culture of academic excess, directing schools to stop registering learners for more than nine subjects at Ordinary Level and more than three principal subjects at Advanced Level.
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| Taungana Ndoro |
The decision follows mounting concern over students taking on unusually heavy subject loads, a trend that recently drew national attention after a Pamushana High School learner sat for 12 A’ Level subjects and emerged with 56 points.
While the feat was widely celebrated, it also reignited debate about learner welfare, academic depth and the real value of piling up subjects in an already pressurised education system.
Ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said the directive reflects an existing but now firmly enforced policy under the Heritage-Based Curriculum.
“The ministry has a clear and revised policy on this matter. To ensure depth of learning, quality of instruction and the integrity of learner outcomes, the ministry has instituted a cap on the number of examinable subjects,” Ndoro said.
“The standard is a maximum of nine subjects at Ordinary Level and three principal subjects at Advanced Level under the Heritage-Based Curriculum.”
Details that emerged around the Pamushana case underscored some of the ministry’s concerns.
The learner, Mukudzei Zivei, disclosed that he attended just one lesson per subject per week, while his school, working with ZIMSEC, had to create special examination arrangements to accommodate timetable clashes, including sitting some papers alone after others had finished.
Ndoro said the ministry would now be “implementing a strict cap” to curb what it considers unnecessary and potentially harmful academic overreach.
“This decisive move aims to promote profound understanding and competency in core learning areas, prevent pupil burnout from excessive academic loads, and align all schools and learners with a standardised, manageable curriculum framework,” he told The Sunday News.
He added that the policy is consistent with entry requirements at universities both locally and abroad, which typically require passes in three A’ Level subjects.
“Our focus now is on ensuring compliance and supporting schools and learners in achieving excellence within this structured framework,” Ndoro said.
The move has also attracted commentary from outside the education ministry.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba weighed in on Sunday, questioning the practical value of exceeding the standard A’ Level load.
“Anything beyond the 15 points in three subjects is superfluous, and some vanity flight,” Charamba wrote on X.
“No attention is given to needless pressure and stress on the misguided child, the financial strain on parents, or the profligate misuse of time — all without a clear career path.”
Charamba revealed that his own son, who is sitting A’ Levels this year, had attempted to register for more than three subjects, prompting a firm intervention at home.
“Firmly, I sat him down: Young man, what do you want to do in life? I want to be a medical doctor, he answered. Perfect; which subjects and how many points do you require to get into a medical school? Maths, Chemistry and Biology, he responded, adding points above 13 would put him in good stead. Perfect, you go and register for those three and let’s get you to try your best in those. Anything else, you will do later!
“He is now cracking his Upper Sixth and I prayerfully hope he makes it. He might not hit cheap headlines if he does well in those three subjects; but he will enroll into a medical school, hopefully to become a good doctor who attends to those with 55 points at A’ Level.”
While exceptional performances will always capture public imagination, the ministry’s intervention signals a shift toward prioritising depth over display.
In a competitive education system where subject accumulation has increasingly become a badge of distinction, the new cap quietly mounts a challenge to the popular idea that more is always better; and suggests that excelling in what truly matters may be distinction enough.
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