Standard 8, JC results depress experts

Education experts have expressed dissatisfaction with the selection results for the Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examinations and the stagnation of the pass rate for the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) results released yesterday.

The reactions followed the release by Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) and Ministry of Education of results for Standard Eight and JCE examinations with 87.77 percent and 72.65 percent pass rate, respectively.

Announcing the results at a joint press briefing in Lilongwe, Maneb executive director Professor Dorothy Nampota said out of 168 219 candidates that sat the JCE examinations, 122 219 have passed representing a pass rate of 72.65 percent, which is a slight decline from 73.07 percent of 2022.

On the other hand, out of 267 330 candidates who sat  forthe PSLCE   examinations, 234 644 have passed representing 87.77 percent, an improvement from the 2022 pass rate of 83.24 percent.

Of those that passed the PSLCE, 96 112 candidates have been selected to start Form One in various secondary schools.

But in an interview, Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe said although the PSLCE selection results show an improvement from previous years, almost 60 percent of eligible candidates have been left out.

He said this is an indication that the country’s secondary education cannot accommodate the majority of Standard Eight learners, despite the candidates being capable.

Said Kondowe: “The 60 percent of the learners who have been left out, where will they go? Only ten percent can afford private education and this means some will have to repeat or drop out because age is also a factor.”

He called on the government to expedite the construction of secondary schools in the Secondary Education Expansion for Development Programme which, with funding from the United States Government, is constructing 250 secondary schools to increase access to secondary education.

In a separate interview, Edukans country director Limbani Nsapato said while the PSLCE results are the best in 20 years, 138 533 learners have not been selected.

“Last year, 127 260 were left out. So, the number of those left out has increased by 11 273. This is a big  issue that authorities need to tackle.

“JCE results are good but not very impressive. If you compare the rankings for the past 10 years, this is just sixth in the rankings,” he said.

Unicaf University dean of Education Associate Professor Steve Sharra said the Open Distance and eLearning strategy that the Ministry of Education is developing is the only way that can improve the transition rate in a realistic way, if Malawi is to achieve a 100 percent transition rate, as per the 2030 target.

He said: “There is a 31 percent difference between internal and external students, and a 38 percent gap between internal and ODeL students. This points to huge inequalities in resources available to different categories of students,” he said.

However, the experts have hailed Maneb for releasing the results in time, saying it gives ample time to parents to prepare for the students’ return to school.

Meanwhile, President Lazarus Chakwera has said the examinations results are an indication that examination management reforms are on the right track.

Addressing the press at Capital Hill in Lilongwe on Tuesday, he said the PSLCE results have also beaten the set target of 85 percent by two percent.

But the President was quick to say that this should not make authorities relax.

Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima hailed Maneb for continuously administering leakage-free examinations.

Likoma, Phalombe, Zomba Urban, Zomba Rural, Chitipa, Mulanje, Ntchisi, Mzuzu City, Karonga and Dedza have emerged the top 10 performing districts in the JCE exams, while Nkhata Bay, Zomba Urban, Rumphi, Mzuzu City, Phalombe, Likoma, Zomba Rural, Mulanje, Dedza and Thyolo are the top ten performing districts in the PSLCE exams.

Compared to last year, the PSLCE results show improvements in a number of areas. The overall pass rate has gone up by four percent, and the number of students who have passed has also gone up.

Both male and female candidates have improved their pass rates. The females have improved by six percent, from 78 percent to 84 percent this year, while the males have improved by  two percent to 90 percent this year.

Special Needs Education students have gone down by five percent from 76 percent last year.

All candidates selected to start Form One and those who have passed their JCE examinations should to report to their respective schools for classes on September 11 2023.