Coalition tears apart examinations results
The Civil Society Education Coalition (Csec) on Sunday described results of the 2013 Junior Certificate (JC) and Primary School Leaving Certificate (PSLC) examinations as a mockery and clear manifestation that education standards are still way behind.
According to the results jointly released by the Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Saturday, 127 013 candidates sat for JC examination and 91 510 passed, representing a 72.05 percent pass rate.
On the other hand, 234 127 candidates sat for PSLC examinations out of which 158 667 passed, representing a 67.77 percent pass rate.
Last year, the pass rate for JC examination was 66.86 percent while that for PSLC was 68.98 percent.
But Csec executive director Benedicto Kondowe said much as more students have passed JC examinations this year compared to last year, the pass rate is still low looking at the rampant leakages that saturated the education system.
He said: “The results are funny because the figure could have been higher considering that there was free for all leakage. Again you have to consider that Standard Eight and Form Two classes are not demanding and you expect the pass rate to be above 80 percent.”
Kondowe called on government to move with urgent speed so that the credibility of JC and PSLC exams is restored.
One of the solutions, according to Kondowe, is to release examination results earlier so that there is enough time for learning.
Asked whether the exam leakages had some impact on the results, Maneb executive director Roy Hauya refused to comment.
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology spokesperson Rebecca Phwitiko said on Sunday she needed more time to consult.
This year’s examinations have been in controversy especially when Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination papers were on sale. Police arrested a number of suspects that included students and teachers.
