ANALYST CALLS ON STAKEHOLDERS TO UNDERSTAND INCIDENT OF LEAKAGE OF 2020 MSCE EXAMS

By Saidi Winnes

The Educational analyst Steve Sharra has called on stakeholders not to take advantage of incidents of 2007 and 2020 to reproach Malawi National Examinations Board(MANEB) as what was seen in 2020 is a rarity not the routine.

Sharra made the call today during an exclusive interview.

The educationist insinuated that in most years MANEB is able to administer examinations without major hiccups

” What we saw in 202O is more of a rarity than routine.Hiccups happen but MANEB is usually able to control the situation and identify the loophole.We should not use the incidents of 2007 and 202O to indict and condemn MANEB.2020 was a difficult year in many respects and there may have been oversight problems.

They seem to have been dealt with ” he said.

Sharra added that by administering the retake successfully, MANEB has demonstrated that they have the capacity to self-correct and remedy things.

The educationist has therefore urged Ministry of Education in conjunction with MANEB to assure the public of the measures implored to make sure the incident is not experienced again.

” MANEB and MoE need to explain to the country what happened in 202O and what measures will be taken to make sure it does not happen again. As a public entity running on taxpayers money, MANEB needs to be accountable to Malawians to earn their trust.

Malawians want a credible and trustworthy education system and are ready to provide the necessary support for an examination system that is secure and has integrity” Sharra added

MANEB nullified MSCE examinations in November following massive leakage of papers and the state president Dr.Lazarus Chakwera directed the board to re-administer fresh exams not later than January 2021.