Ma lawi Nationa l E x a m i n a t i o n s Board (Maneb) has released the 2026 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination results with the national pass rate rising marginally to 59.26 percent from 58.44 percent last year.
In a statement announcing the results, Maneb said 111 510 out of 188 169 candidates who sat the examinations have passed, meaning 76 659 candidates did not attain the qualification.
The 2026 results continue an upward trend recorded in recent years, with the national pass rate increasing from 54.40 percent in 2023 and 54.79 percent in 2024 to 58.44 percent in 2025.
But the results continue to expose a significant gender gap, with boys outperforming girls by over nine percentage points. Of the 98 020 male candidates who sat the examination, 63 037 passed, representing a pass rate of 62.80 percent.
On the other hand, 90 149 female candidates sat the examination with 48 473
passing, giving a pass rate of 53.77 percent.
School walk into an examination room. | Nation
From the results, the gender gap has remained virtually unchanged from last year, when boys recorded a 62.80 percent pass rate compared with 53.74 percent for girls.
Performance also varied considerably across education divisions, districts and schools, with the North Education Division recording the highest proportion of candidates attaining distinctions.
The North registered a distinction rate of 7.40 percent followed by Central West at
5.96 percent, Central East at 5.44 percent, South East at 5.37 percent, Shire Highlands at 5.20 percent and South West at 4.25 percent.
At school level, St Mauritius Secondary School in Rumphi was the top-performing school based on the proportion of candidates attaining distinctions at 65 percent. Ludzi Girls in Mchinji followed at 50.13 percent while St Kizito Seminary in Dedza scored 49.71 percent.
Likulezi Catholic Boys in Phalombe recorded 49 percent, followed by Karonga St Mary’s Girls at 48.65 percent, St John
Bosco in Mzimba South at 47.08 percent and Likuni Boys in Lilongwe West at 45.10 percent.
The other schools in the top 10 were Marist Private in Dedza at 43.79 percent, St Patrick’s Seminary in Rumphi at 42.74 percent; and Chaminade in Karonga, at 42.11 percent.
While some schools posted strong results, Maneb’s figures also reveal institutions where no candidate passed. They include Greenfield Academy in Lilongwe West, Neesena Private in Thyolo, Joy Private in Mangochi, Vision Foundation Private in Lilongwe City, Kalonga II Community in Lilongwe East and Lusolathu Private in Machinga.
Education rights activist Benedicto Kondowe has since described the improvement in the national pass rate as encouraging, but said the results should prompt deeper reflection on the candidates who failed and the persistent gap between boys and girls.
Maneb says candidates qualify for the MSCE through either of two routes, namely obtaining passes in six subjects, including English with at least one credit; or obtaining passes in five subjects, including English, with at least three credits.
