THE government says 400 students under the BEAM scheme will miss their 'O' and 'A' Level ZIMSEC exams this year as Treasury has yet to pay ZIMSEC fees.

The Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM)

BEAM is a government scheme meant for vulnerable children.

Treasury has been struggling to pay school fees for the BEAM students countrywide over the past years.

Public Service Minister July Moyo told a Public Service Parly Committee this Thursday that Parliament, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and himself should have an urgent meeting to deliberate on the crisis.

"400 students under the BEAM programme might miss their school exams if we do not pay their fees.

"The government owes US$6.4 million to ZIMSEC for form four and six students under BEAM.

"If we do not pay those fees, these students will not write exams," Moyo said.

However, the ministry does not have any outstanding payments from schools that have submitted their requisitions to the Public Service Ministry for 2022.

The government has managed to clear arrears up to December 2022.

For 2023 and 2024, Treasury has only paid a partial payment of $19.9 billion for 434 705 primary school students.

According to Moyo, all claims in USD have not been paid for the 2023 and 2024 claims submitted.

In 2023, US$56.7 million for 83 825 special schools remained unpaid.

Moyo highlighted that some, if not most families were under pressure, and as government, there was an urgent need for Parliament and government to find a solution to the crisis.

"Zimbabwe has no free education and as such, there has to be a ceiling of some sort.

"Arrears in fee payment are huge. If you look in the Blue Book, money would have been appropriated for but the money is not there to cover the arrears," added Moyo.

Further, he told the MPs that money released by the Treasury does not cover the intended beneficiaries.