Maneb clarifies issues on 2019 MSCE exams

Maneb has said the 2019 MSCE examinations, the first to be written in a secondary school cycle without JCE examinations, will cover material from both junior and senior secondary school.

Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) executive director Gerald Chiunda said this at a press briefing in Blantyre on Friday to clear fears of some students.

He said Maneb has been receiving enquiries from the public to clarify on the new examinations format—without Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examinations.

“I want to make it clear that concepts that end at junior secondary level will be reflected in the questions for that level and those that develop up to senior secondary level will also be reflected as they appear in Form Four,” he said.

According to Chiunda, the board will in 2019 administer examinations in 24 subjects which appear in the new curriculum, including newly introduced subjects of chemistry, creative arts, performing arts, physics and social studies, which has replaced social and development studies.

Maneb has since released samples of the 2019 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination papers, which will be available from January next year in all schools.

Meanwhile, Maneb has, from this coming year, introduced a new system in handling practical examinations.

According to Chiunda, the examinations body will be sending to schools lists of materials, chemicals and items required for examinations and schools will be required to send names of teachers handling practical examinations.

“In trying to fight practical examinations leakages, subject teachers will be collecting confidential instructions from their examinations distribution centres a day before the exams and prepare for the following day ’s exams. Schools that will be buying examination materials a day before the exams will be disqualified,” he warned.

Government introduced new curriculum in the 2015/16 academic calendar for junior secondary school. In 2019, candidates are expected to sit for the first MSCE examinations since the review of the new curriculum.