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| National |
| MSCE results out |
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by
Gedion Munthali, 11 January 2005
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16:46:41
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The Malawi Schools Certificate of Education (MSCE) 2004 examination results are out with a 40.8 percent pass rate.
But although cheating waned, it got sophisticated with cell phones and mirror glasses found in “difficult places” of some candidates.
Releasing the results he described as “the best so far” at the Ministry of Education headquarters in Lilongwe, Education Minister Yusuf Mwawa said 26,765 students passed out of 65,649 who sat for the examination.
“What is very significant is that prisoners have done very well beating some schools,” said Mwawa flanked by his deputy Anna Kachikho and Secretary for Education Simeon Hawu. Malawi Examinations Board (Maneb) executive director Mathews Matemba was also in attendance.
In 2003 a total of 48,611 candidates sat for examinations and 20,188 qualified for the award of MSCE representing a 41.5 percent pass rate. While in 2002 a total of 18,487 passed out of 54,971 candidates who sat for the examinations. This represented a 33.6 percent pass rate.
But cases of cheating have been diminishing over the years. According to Mwawa, the 2004 examinations registered 323 cases only compared to 2345 cases in 2003 and 5,254 in 2002.
“This is because of the cluster system, the review of penalties, tightening of security and the strong campaign against the malpractice,” said Mwawa.
Nevertheless the 323 cases showed that students have gone an extra mile in trying to circumvent the system.
Some candidates were found with cell phones, others had mirrors and yet others had written notes on their clothes and thighs.
According to Matemba, the culprits were using mirrors to reflect on papers of their colleagues seated behind them.
“Some of these materials were found on the students right in the examination room,” said Matemba. “It was not easy to detect them on entry because some of them were put in difficult places.”
Matemba said there were no cases of teachers aiding candidates to cheat during the examinations.
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