HARARE — Government will end examination fee subsidies for most schoolchildren by 2028, with state support restricted to pupils registered under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).

Cabinet approved the new funding model on Tuesday, marking a shift from the universal subsidy introduced in 2020.

Under the revised arrangement, pupils in designated P3 and S3 rural schools, satellite schools and BEAM beneficiaries will continue receiving assistance in 2027. From 2028, only BEAM beneficiaries will qualify.

Cabinet said the existing system was financially unsustainable and failed to distinguish between vulnerable families and those able to pay examination fees.

Government initially covered 53 percent of ZIMSEC examination fees in 2020, increasing its contribution to 55 percent in 2021.

The changes mean families outside BEAM will eventually have to pay the full cost of national examinations.

Government did not disclose the expected savings, the number of affected pupils or the revised examination fees.