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Education in Zimbabwe

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The education system of Zimbabwe is being operated and maintained by its Ministry of Education. It is also responsible for the government schools while the Cabinet of Zimbabwe is the one who regulates fees charged by independent and private schools such as church-related institutions.

School year starts in January and ends in December. Each school year is divided into 3 terms with 1 month break for each. Primary education (Grades 1 to 7) starts at age 6 while secondary education (Form I to IV) starts at age 13.

Primary education lasts for 7 years, labeled as Grade 1 to Grade 7. English is the medium of instruction for urban areas, with Shona and Ndebele languages only taught as subjects. In rural areas, however, the mother tongue is the medium of instruction until Grade 3 when transition to English as medium of instruction takes place. After attending Grade 7, national exams in Math, English, Shona or Ndebele, and Sciences should be passed in order for a student to be granted access to secondary education.

Secondary education (Form I to Form VI) lasts for 6 years and has two levels: the O level which lasts for 4 years and the A level which lasts for 2 years. In the O level, students are taught Math, Science, History, English, and Shona or Ndebele. Students need to pass the O level before proceeding to the A level. If not, they work in small-scale farming or enter vocational or technical schools. The A level lasts for 2 years where students choose among commercial and arts and sciences subjects. When they pass the culmination exam, they are granted access to higher education in universities and colleges.