Report faults police for Maneb exam leaks

The Malawi Police Service (MPS) has been mentioned as the weakest link in ensuring tight security for examination papers produced by the Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) following an assessment of Maneb’s operational systems and controls regarding management of examinations.

The assessment, undertaken by a Lilongwe-based independent Corruption Prevention Network (CPN), has since recommended a review of stages where the police have control of the examination papers. It has also been proposed that other players be involved in those stages instead of leaving the MPS as the sole security provider.

CPN acting executive director Alex Mgala said out of the 15 operational systems of control which Maneb uses to manage the examinations, three of them have several shortfalls and lack serious security measures as Maneb is not in full control.

These three operational systems include System Control 11 which involves custody of printed examination papers at police stations; System Control 12 involving custody of examination papers at examination centres; and System Control 13 dealing with custody of examination answer sheets at police stations.

Mgala said the CPN assessment was carried out mainly in view of public concern about continued reports of leaked Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination papers.

In the Control Systems number 11, the report observed that Maneb for the first time in the whole system of managing the examinations, compromised its responsibility of being in full control and transferred such full control to the MPS.

The report also says security in the police rooms where examinations are kept is also not guaranteed since the assessment observed that at this point , the police have shifted their responsibility of security to that of keeping the examinations.

The CPN suggests that at this point it was important that another arm of government, such as the military police from the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), should be engaged to provide additional security to the rooms.

On Control System number 13, the report observes that after Maneb briefly takes charge of the papers in Control System number 12 which involves transferring the examinations to examination centres, Maneb “stumbles” as it is not clear who keeps the examinations when the invigilators are busy in the examination rooms.

The report also says on Control System 15, Maneb again compromises its authority of keeping the answered examination sheets at the police stations.

Maneb executive director Roy Hauya, in an interview on Monday, said he would have to see the report first before he can competently comment on the observations.

However, National Police spokesperson Rhoda Manjolo said in as far as police were concerned, Maneb is involved and is in full control at each and every level of the management of the examinations.

The assessment also covered analysis of unprinted examination papers which is part of Maneb Control System One to Seven involving preparation and setting of examination papers before the papers are printed by an international confidential printer.