Maneb needs K37bn for exam administration
The Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) says it needs an estimated K37 billion to administer this year’s examinations, but government has given a tentative ceiling of K13 billion for the 2025/2026 Financial Year.
Speaking on Wednesday when Maneb appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Education to provide an update on preparations for yhis year’s examinations, Maneb executive director Professor Dorothy Nampota said the board is under serious pressure on funding, urging the committee to help in lobbying government for increased funding allocation.

Maneb administers the Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE), Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) and Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations annually.
Nampota said out of the required K37 billion, the board has raised K9 billion from students examination fees. With the K13 billion ceiling allocated by government, it means the board still faces a K12 billion gap.
She said the situation has been compounded by the increase in invigilators allowances after government effected a 100 percent rise in civil servants allowances.
Said Nampota: “We have huge budget deficit. If we leave it like that, there is no way we are going to administer examinations because we are going to try this and teachers will be on the streets to say we have been poorly paid.”
She said the board is also struggling to settle a $1.5 million (about K 2.6 billion) debt for printing of the examination papers for 2024.
She added that for the 2024/2025 financial year, government gave Maneb a ceiling of K12 billion but the budget was affected by another debt for printing of the 2023 national examinations.
According to Nampota, Maneb needed to settle the company’s K4.2 billion debt and Treasury asked the board to use money it collected from students examination fees and assured that it would repay the funds in the 2024/2025 budget.
“However, when we tried to follow up on the K4.2 billion, Treasury told us that the K4.2 billion was part of the K12 billion allocated in 2024/2025 budget,” she explained.
Nampota said Maneb has also been told to generate salaries for its employees for the remaining 2024/2025 financial year as Treasury already gaveit the allocated K12 billion.