MSCE exams leak again
There are fears of leakage of the 2013 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations following the arrest of eight students during the week.
The suspects were found in possession of prepared answers which matched the question papers they were sitting.
In separate interviews yesterday, police and Malawi National Examination Board (Maneb) confirmed the arrests although they could not say whether it was a sign of a massive leakage of the examinations.
Deputy National Police spokesperson Kelvin Maigwa said three of the arrests were made at Chichiri Secondary School, one at Liwazi Anglican Church Cluster Centre in Nkhotakota while in Lilongwe, a student was arrested at Likuni Boys Secondary School, two at Chipasula Secondary School and one at Chimutu Cluster Centre.
The Chichiri Secondary School candidates were granted bail the same day, according to Southern Region Police Headquarters spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa.
He said the three [names withheld] admitted to a charge of gaining access to examination materials without authority which is contrary to Maneb Act, Chapter 3004, Section 14, Sub-Section 2A.
Gondwa said: “At a time they were caught by Maneb officials, they were writing physical science.
“After they admitted to the charges, they were released on bail to allow them continue with their examinations. They will appear in court after the examinations.”
Meanwhile, Mzuzu Government Secondary School Form Four students on Tuesday staged a protest after suspecting that some candidates had benefited from the leakage.
Mzuzu Police spokesperson Maurice Chapola on Wednesday confirmed the protest. He, however, denied knowledge of any examination leakage.
He said police went to the institution after being alerted about the protest.
“We are investigating what sparked the protest. No one has been arrested, but we will soon find out what the protest was all about,” he said.
Said Maigwa: “In all the instances, it is the same trend that these students were copying their answers from somewhere and, after cross-checking, you realised that what was being copied matched with the actual questions”.
Asked what has been done to ensure that the leakages are checked as the students sit for the remaining papers, Maigwa said all stakeholders, including parents and students, should assist the police in dealing with the situation.
“As police, we cannot win the battle alone. We need concerted efforts. We need even the candidates themselves to come forward whenever they suspect that someone has examination papers. We have to be aware that examinations are a national event,” he said.
Maneb director of security Robert Harawa could not say whether this meant that there was a nationwide leak of examination papers.
He, however, confirmed that Maneb was informed about the Chichiri Secondary School arrest.
Harawa said, currently, Maneb officials are in different parts of the country monitoring the situation.
