The 2023 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations started yesterday without any major incident.

Some 160 586 candidates are sitting for the examinations which if they pass they will qualify for selection into public and private colleges and universities or get absorbed into the job market.

According to Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) public relations officer Mayamiko Chiwaya, no student this year has been denied the examinations due to fees.

She said: “All the candidates reported at their respective examination centres and were taken through rules and regulations for the examinations.”

Chiwaya assured the general public that the examinations will run smoothly.

Ministry of Education spokesperson Mphatso Nkuonera also said they had a successful administration of the national examination sthis year.

 “We are, however, warning all candidates against cheating during examinations as such malpractices attract serious repercussions,” he said.

During random interviews, parents and students praised government for the way it has prepared for this year’s MSCE examinations administration.

At one of the examinations centres in Nsanje District, Nyamadzere Community Day Secondary School head teacher Leah Zambasa Nyowani said they started administering the examinations at 10 am.

She said: “We have 106 internal candidates and 96 external candidates registered with the board.

“And those who sat for exams were all the 106 internals and 95 externals making a total of 201 present and one absentee. Everything went well.”

The same situation was observed in Mangochi District as all Maneb examination centres registered no hussles.

Unlike, the Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) and the Junior Certificate Education (JCE) examinations which saw some candidates failing to write after their examination fees were swindled said they were happy that all of them sat for the first paper yesterday.

Bahat Kombo, a candidate Orama Private Secondary School in Mangochi District said the peaceful administration of the examination will have a positive impact.

“So far, I am content with the way the examination is administered. It was planned and everything was in order. There was no mix up of exam papers as sometimes is the case,” she said.

As a guardian, Senior Chief Chimwala said he is happy that the examinations are progressing well and that there are no reports of leakage or fraud by some teachers.

 “As parents we get concerned when we hear that our children will not write examinations due to some fraud by teachers. But we are happy because we haven’t heard anything of that sort,” he said.

In Zomba, another parent Steve Mkandawire, whose ward is sitting the examinations at Naisi Community Day Secondary School warned the candidates especially those in boarding schools to refrain from damaging school property at the end of examinations.

—Additional reporting by HOLYCE KHOLOWA and TEMWA MHONE, Correspondents

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