National exams cheating blamed on democracy

The Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) has described multiparty democracy as a great factor contributing to high levels of examination cheating and other malpractices.

Maneb said this in a brief statement on the status of 2015 national examinations for the country which have been described leakage-free.

In the statement, MANEB explained that after democracy had just been introduced in the country the board was registering high cases of examination malpractices due to people’s misinterpretation of freedom.

“The dawn of multiparty democracy has been associated with cheating which has escalated to alarming levels. Candidates misinterpreted freedom to mean they were even free to cheat in order to achieve better grades,” says MANEB.

According to MANEB, in 2002, 5,254 candidates were disqualified due to cheating during MSCE examination, representing 8%.

In 2003, a total of 2,345 candidates were also disqualified at the same level, representing 3.97%.

However, the board appreciates other stakeholders for helping to reduce the malpractice to low level through aggressive public awareness on the dangers of cheating.

According to Maneb, in 2014, only 126 candidates were disqualified at MSCE level, representing 0.1% while in 2015, only one case of cheating was reported during the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examination.

“We would like to thank all stakeholders and the general public for their support during and towards the successful administration of national examinations,” said Maneb.

The board also promised to continue engaging all stakeholders and the general public as it strives to improve on the gains achieved so far.

Maneb was established by an Act of Parliament in 1987 to administer national examinations with its mission to conduct valid and reliable examinations for certification, selection and placement purposes; and provide professional advice relating to assessment and examinations.