Zambia has achieved a significant milestone in education as Minister of Education, Hon. Douglas Syakalima, announced the 2025 Grade 12 School Certificate and Teacher Education examination results. The School Certificate pass rate rose to 70.26 percent, up from 68.19 percent in 2024 and 63.93 percent in 2020. This marks the first time the country has surpassed the 70 percent pass rate, despite growing enrolment under the free education policy.
Of the 197,777 candidates, 136,434 obtained School Certificates, 54,771 received statements of results, and only 2,941 failed. Absenteeism declined to 1.83 percent, reflecting consistent improvement in learner engagement. Minister Syakalima attributed these gains to government interventions, including the recruitment of additional teachers, strengthened monitoring systems, timely disbursement of grants, the provision of learning materials, and an expanded school feeding programme.
Teacher education performance remained strong across all programmes. High clear-pass rates were recorded in Early Childhood Education, Primary Teacher’s Diploma, and Secondary Teacher’s Diploma courses. In total, 588 candidates qualified for Teacher’s Diplomas, comprising 159 in Early Childhood Education, 239 in Primary Education, and 190 in Secondary Education. Graduation ceremonies are scheduled later this year.
The Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) is implementing measures to enhance examination integrity and efficiency. Dr. Michael Chilala highlighted key initiatives, including the development of new examination systems aligned with the updated curriculum framework, integrating both school-based and summative assessments. A new candidate registration system requires parental confirmation via SMS or email to improve data accuracy. Candidate authentication will be strengthened through face capture, ensuring identities are verified and preventing cheating, with images displayed on certificates.
Additionally, ECZ will continue offering General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations, with registration open until 6 March 2026. Data integrity measures are also being enhanced, including the verification of birth dates to prevent duplicates. While submission of a birth certificate remains optional in 2025, it will become mandatory from 2027.
These results reflect Zambia’s commitment to improving educational outcomes and ensuring quality learning. The combined efforts of the Ministry of Education, teachers, and examination authorities have set a new benchmark in learner achievement and education management.