Advocate Thabani Mpofu has criticised the government’s plan to limit the number of subjects students can take at Ordinary and Advanced Level.
Over the weekend, Taungana Ndoro, Director of Communication and Advocacy at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, said the Ministry will introduce stricter rules on the number of subjects students can register for in 2026.
Under the new rules, O-Level students will be allowed to take a maximum of nine subjects, while A-Level students will be limited to the standard three subjects.
Ndoro said the aim is to help students focus on key subjects, develop stronger skills, and avoid being overwhelmed by heavy workloads.
However, Advocate Mpofu said learners should be free to choose the number of subjects they wish to take without government interference. He said:
“The government of Zimbabwe proposes to regulate the number of subjects candidates may sit for at O‑ and A‑level.
“This is not simply the familiar and uncontroversial power to set a minimum or core curriculum; rather, the proposal would effectively cap the number of subjects so that candidates cannot take more than the prescribed minimum.
“Some officials appear to regard extra subjects as ‘unnecessary’ and therefore worthy of prohibition.
“That approach is mistaken. In a constitutional democracy the state’s law‑making power exists to secure peace, order and good governance (this is a constitutional imperative).
“It cannot be used to regulate matters that fall outside genuine public‑interest objectives, nor can government issue directives that lack legal backing or a legitimate constitutional purpose.
“Choices about personal priorities and taste, for example how many subjects an individual wishes to study, lie within a zone of private autonomy the state should not invade.
“If we allow the state to ban harmless personal choices on the basis that they are ‘unnecessary,’ we set a dangerous precedent; tomorrow someone might argue for still more intrusive restrictions on personal appearance or other harmless preferences.
“We certainly do not want to be told that we cannot wear dark coloured clothes because ‘it is unnecessary’ for dark skinned people to do so.
“Citizens must guard those zones of autonomy. If others believe our choices are unwise, the remedy is persuasion and debate, not legislation.
“The state should regulate only where there is a compelling public interest, not to impose its view of taste.”
Related:
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Govt Caps O-Level Subjects At Nine, A-Level At Three