2024 MSCE results register 54.79% pass rate
Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) has released the 2024 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) results, with analysts saying there is little to celebrate.
Announcing the results in Lilongwe yesterday, Maneb executive director Professor Dorothy Nampota said out of 177 434 candidates who sat for the examinations, 97 222 have passed, representing a 54.79 percent pass rate.
The results represent a slight improvement in pass rate from the 2023 results for which a total of 154 132 candidates sat and 83 846 passed, representing a pass rate of 54.40 percent.
Nampota said the board has once again administered a leakage-free examination.
She said: “The results have been certified clean and credible by the board of directors.
“Once again, we have administered a leakage free examination for the fifth year in a row showing our commitment to improve education standards in the country.”
The Maneb executive director said just like the Junior Certificate of Education examinations (JCE) and Primary School Leaving Certificate Examinations (PSLCE), the MSCE results will only be accessible online.
“I, therefore, urge all headteachers of examination centres to download the PDF examination results on Maneb website by Sunday 22 September 2024 because after that we will commence online registration for the next examinations using the same portals,” she said.
Nampota further observed that the major challenges were the missing map for Question One of the Geography paper which carried 25 Marks, and a one-day sit-in at St Mary’s marking centre. However, she said the board resolved the issue.
In her remarks, Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima said the successes registered in the examinations and the results testify that education standards in the country are improving.
But in an interview, Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe said there is nothing to celebrate about the results as they do not reflect any significant improvement from last year’s results, which were deemed poor in several analyses.
According to Maneb, in this year’s results, the top 10 districts in performance in descending order are Zomba Urban, Mzuzu City, Karonga, Dowa, Chitipa, Nkhotakota, Dedza, Phalombe, Ntchisi and Nkhata Bay. While poor performing districts in ascending order are Machinga, Thyolo, Lilongwe City, Lilongwe Rural East, Neno, Mchinji, Nsanje, Mangochi, Ntcheu, Balaka and Lilongwe Rural West..
