Unhu/Ubuntu and examination malpractice in Zimbabwe: Perceptions of selected stakeholders from Masvingo urban secondary schools

Abstract

National and international examination boards are an epitome of any sound education system. The running of examinations before, during and after each seating is a cause for concern in Zimbabwean secondary schools as cases of cheating seem to be rampant. For this reason the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC), the board that runs examinations in Zimbabwe, has come under scrutiny. This paper sought to establish how examination malpractices could be curbed. Researchers interviewed five teachers, two school heads and twenty-five learners from five secondary schools in Masvingo urban, on their perceptions on the prevalence of examination cheating and analysed their views on unhu/ubuntu education and examination practices. Using the analytical lenses of Unhu/Ubuntu philosophy whose virtues and tenets resonate with humanness, the study established that examination cheating epitomises immorality. Examination cheating negates the unhu/ubuntu values, the latter of which, amongst others, foster honesty, hard work and responsibility, and instill self-control, trustworthiness, obedience, integrity and truth telling. Thus, the paper concludes that lack of unhu/ubuntu values among some Zimbabwean teachers and students could negatively affect the integrity of the whole examination processes in most schools in Zimbabwe. The paper recommends serious teaching of unhu/ubuntu education in Zimbabwean secondary schools and teacher training institutions so that students and teachers, respectively, shun corrupt practices that may compromise the quality of examinations