Maneb courts Fedoma on inclusive examinations

Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) has said the country can achieve inclusive education if schools submit to the board during the registration for national examinations correct information about the nature of disabilities candidates have.

Speaking in Zomba on Friday during a meeting with Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (Fedoma) and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), Maneb public relations officer Simeon Maganga said they are committed to providing inclusive assessment methodologies.

He said the challenge the institution faces in assessing students with disabilities is that during registration, Maneb distributes registration forms for candidates to indicate the type of disabilities they have, but most schools do not present the exact needs.

“We have resolved that Fedoma should produce a form that includes all types of disabilities for Maneb to update its current form if the board is to asses all learners with disabilities with ease,” Maganga said.

Fedoma finance manager Virginia Nyalo said her organisation is committed to working with the board to improve special needs education.

“Our objective is to ensure that students with diverse disabilities are given true grades they deserve,” she said.

MoEST head of special needs education David Njaidi said apart from upgrading the registration form, the ministry is committed to ensuring that invigilators are oriented on how to support candidates with disabilities. n