HARARE – A high-stakes diplomatic and educational row has erupted between the Zimbabwean government and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, following a direct challenge to the country’s new mandatory schooling policy. The clash, which has left thousands of parents and private schools in a state of nervous anticipation, centres on whether elite private institutions can continue to bypass local examinations in favour of international qualifications.
The dispute reached a boiling point this week when Cambridge suggested that Zimbabwean learners still retained the right to choose their curriculum. This claim was met with an immediate and sharp rebuttal from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which insisted that the new Heritage-Based Curriculum (HBC) is the only legal framework for every child in the country.
At the heart of the conflict is a statement released on June 15, 2026, by Cambridge’s Sub-Saharan Africa managing director, Louise Hendoy. In the statement, Hendoy claimed that recent high-level engagements with the government had clarified that students would not be forced into a dual-system nightmare.
“Through these discussions, the ministry clarified that learners will continue to have a choice of curriculum and will not be expected to take both local and international curricula,” Hendoy said.
However, the government’s response was swift and uncompromising. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, spokesperson Taungana Ndoro dismissed the Cambridge interpretation as “incorrect and misleading.” He made it clear that the state is not interested in a multi-choice education system where the wealthy can opt out of national standards.
“There is no choice of curriculum. The Heritage-Based Curriculum is mandatory for all pupils in Zimbabwe. This position has not changed and will not be altered by any engagements with external examination bodies,” Ndoro said.
The 2027 Mandate: A Unified Front
The tension between Harare and the UK-based examinations board is not just about textbooks; it is about the very soul of the Zimbabwean education system. In May 2026, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Honourable Torerayi Moyo, unveiled a “Unified Examination Policy.” This policy dictates that by 2027, every single learner in the country must register for and sit for Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) examinations.
For decades, many private schools in Zimbabwe—often referred to as “Trust Schools”—have operated almost exclusively on the Cambridge syllabus. Parents paid high fees in US dollars to ensure their children received certificates recognised globally, often viewing the local Zimsec alternative with suspicion due to years of administrative challenges and paper leaks.
The government’s new directive effectively bans the use of Cambridge as a primary alternative. While the Ministry stopped short of an outright ban on the international board, they have relegated it to the status of a “hobby” or an extra-curricular activity.
“We are not banning Cambridge or any other international examination board,” Ndoro explained. “Pupils may voluntarily sit for Cambridge examinations as an additional qualification, a supplementary one, but this does not replace or exempt them from the mandatory HBC and Zimsec-administered national examinations.”
This means that a student at an elite school in Harare or Bulawayo would be forced to study the full Zimbabwean Heritage-Based Curriculum and sit the Zimsec exams. If they still wish to have a Cambridge certificate, they must study for it separately and write those exams as well, effectively doubling their workload and the financial burden on their parents.
The Heritage-Based Curriculum: Cultural Sovereignty or Control?
The Heritage-Based Curriculum, which covers the period from 2024 to 2030, is the brainchild of the current administration’s “Vision 2030” project. It seeks to move away from what officials call a “colonial-era” style of learning, focusing instead on Zimbabwean history, national identity, and practical skills like innovation and technology.
The government argues that for the country to develop, every child must be grounded in the same national values. The curriculum includes a heavy focus on “Heritage Studies,” which is now a compulsory subject.
“Any suggestion that pupils have a choice between curricula is incorrect and misleading. Cambridge’s statement does not reflect the policy direction of the government of Zimbabwe,” Ndoro added, reinforcing the idea that national identity cannot be optional.
The clash follows a series of summits and meetings, including one attended by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, where the future of the nation’s schools was debated. While the First Lady has been a vocal supporter of the “heritage” aspect of the reforms, her presence at these meetings has added a layer of political weight to what was once a purely administrative matter.
A History of Friction
The relationship between Zimsec and Cambridge has been fraught with difficulty since Zimbabwe officially localised its O-Level and A-Level examinations in 2002. Before then, Zimsec operated as a subsidiary of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). When the two split, the goal was to make education more affordable and relevant to the local context.
However, the transition was never fully embraced by the middle and upper classes. Over the last two decades, Zimsec has been dogged by scandals that have eroded public confidence. In November 2025, an investigative report revealed a massive pattern of irregularities, including question paper envelopes being tampered with before they reached rural centres.
Earlier in 2025, a 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly running a WhatsApp group with nearly 1,000 members dedicated to selling leaked Zimsec papers. These incidents have made the “choice” of curriculum a matter of survival for students hoping to study at universities in the UK, USA, or South Africa.
Minister Torerayi Moyo has been dismissive of these concerns, suggesting that if schools believe their students are superior, they should prove it by passing the local exams.
“If they think their students are bright, are intelligent enough, they can offer both Cambridge and Zimsec, but they must justify how they are going to do it without burning out the children,” the Minister remarked during a recent policy briefing.
The Burden on Parents and Schools
For the average parent at a private school, the government’s “no choice” stance is a financial hammer blow. Examination fees for Cambridge are already high, often costing hundreds of dollars per subject. Adding Zimsec fees on top of this, along with the cost of two sets of textbooks and potentially extra lessons to cover the differing syllabi, is a daunting prospect.
School administrators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal, expressed confusion over how they will manage the timetable.
“The Heritage-Based Curriculum is very demanding. It requires a lot of project-based learning and continuous assessment. To ask a student to do that and also prepare for the rigours of Cambridge A-Levels is simply not fair. We are being forced to choose between obeying the law and giving our students a global future,” one headmaster said.
Cambridge, for its part, seems to be trying to find a middle ground. Louise Hendoy advised schools that their next step would be to work with Zimsec on a “structured review” of the Heritage-Based Curriculum. This suggests that Cambridge may try to align its own syllabus with the Zimbabwean one to reduce the burden on students, though whether the government will allow such “external interference” remains to be seen.
The Credibility Gap
The government’s insistence on a single national exam system is seen by some as a way to force credibility back into Zimsec. By making the country’s brightest students sit the local exams, the state hopes to raise the overall standard and global recognition of the certificate.
Yet, critics warn that this move could backfire. If Zimsec continues to struggle with leaks and administrative delays, forcing every student into the system may only spread the damage further. There are also concerns that international universities may begin to look less favourably on Zimbabwean applicants if they are forced to take a curriculum that is perceived as being politically motivated rather than academically rigorous.
As the 2027 deadline approaches, the “war” between Harare and Cambridge shows no signs of cooling down. For now, the Ministry of Education remains firm: the Heritage-Based Curriculum is the law of the land, and the era of “choosing” an international alternative as a primary education path is coming to a definitive end.
The first national examinations under the full Heritage-Based Curriculum are scheduled for 2028, but the real test will come next year, when the first cohort of students is forced to register for Zimsec, regardless of whether they have a Cambridge textbook in their bag.
For the students caught in the middle, the “choice” has already been made for them by the state. They must now navigate a system that values national heritage above international flexibility, in a country where the classroom has become the latest front in the struggle for national identity.