Ombudsman to audit PSLCE selection list

The Office of the Ombudsman has moved to in to probe the selection process of primary school learners to public secondary schools.

The development comes barely days after the release of Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examination results by the Ministry of Education Science and Technology in conjunction with the Malawi National Examination Board (MANEB).

According to the Ministry, 225,387 candidates passed the examination out of 277,007 candidates that sat the examination. This represents 81.37 percent, the country’s best results in five years.

Out of 225,387 candidates, 84,947 candidates, or 37.73 percent of those that passed, have been selected to start form one in secondary schools.

The borne of contention is on the few number of student from Northern Region who have been selected to Public Secondary Schools with many claiming that quota system has been used.

In a statement leader of opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa questioned the criteria used in selecting the student.

“For example, how can the government select only one Chitipa District learner to a national secondary school when there are 1,800 spaces available while Lilongwe Rural West Constituency alone is sending over 13 learners to one national secondary school?” he queried.

On the other hand Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) President Enock Chihana is set to meet President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera over the matter.

Due to these claims, Ombudsman Martha Chizuma has moved in to investigate the matter and the report will be released in four months from now.

“We discussed this with the Ministry [of Education] before they came public. We told them that we will need three months for us to conclude the assignment. We said we will start early weeks of February because we believe we shall have disposed of some of the assignments we have,” she said.

Meanwhile stakeholders are calling for the suspension of the selection list.