Maneb to withhold MSCE results for 250 schools

Students from 250 secondary schools in the country risk having their 2017 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination results withheld by the Malawi Nation Examination Board (Maneb) due to failure by their school management to pay examinations fees.

Speaking in an interview today, Maneb spokesperson Simeon Maganga said after checking their accounts, it was established that the schools, both private and government owned, did not pay the examination fees  and now owe the board about K81 million in total.

Without giving the specific number of students, Maganga said the actual figure for the unpaid examination fees is K58 242 910 while 13, 648 592 is a 20 percent penalty for late payment.

Explains Maganga: “Registration takes places at school level and students pay from there. Schools are expected to deposit the amount and give us bank deposit slips.

“It was during reconciliation that we discovered some discrepancies. We informed the management of the said schools, however if they fail to respond in time we will have no option but to withhold the results.”

For the past two years, Maneb has been releasing results for MSCE examinations early October.

According to Maganga, last year, Maneb had the same number of schools that failed to pay for examination fees for its students hence the introduction of the penalty charge.

He further explained that this year, the board made sure that all students write the examination and resolve all issues that follow later to avoid breaching students’ right to education.

Last year police in Blantyre arrested one of the two directors for Lingua Franca private school in Ndirande, Blantyre for allegedly embezzling close to K1 million meant for examination fees for 63 form four students from the school.

The 63 candidates failed to sit for the examination after the school directors allegedly failed to remit examination fees to Maneb.

This year each student paid an average of K30 000 in examination registration and fees.

Maneb finished registration for the 2017 MSCE examination on December 9 2016, however, it provided a chance for late registration with a penalty of K2000 per student up until December 30, 2016.