Maneb to introduce electronic marking
Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) says plans are at an advanced stage to introduce an electronic marking system.
Maneb director of examinations Gerson Mutala Phiri announced the plans in Lilongwe on Monday through a presentation at the conference on the implementation of the Public Sector Reforms.
He said the system will significantly address mechanical errors and challenges of time spent, totalling of marks and transferring of scripts from one centre to another during examination marking exercises.
Said Phiri: “The current manual system of examination marking has several challenges in that it exposes examiners to dust from papers, which is hazardous to their health. Examiners also spend a lot of time to search for a question in the script to be marked.”
Additionally, the system will address challenges the board used to face in ferrying cartons containing examination scripts from one point to another, thereby making a saving on transportation costs.
“Other benefits are that the examiners will mark faster than the current system thereby gaining time of processing as well as reduced cost of marking. Our plans are to have a pilot phase budgeted for in the 2018/19 budget,” he said.
Chief director in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) responsible for Public Service Reforms Programme, Seodi White, described the project as ambitious, but worth pursuing if the country is to be at par with the international standards in the handling of examinations.
