A social commentator has urged the Malawi government to ensure schools are equipped with enough resources in order to improve performance of students in Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations.
The commentator Wonderful Mkhutche was reacting to the just released MSCE examination results where about 60 in every 100 students have failed their exams representing a 41% pass rate.
Speaking to Malawi24, Mkhutche said these are very disappointing results which have to open government authorities up to the plight of Malawi education system in which he said there are so many loopholes that needs to be sealed as quickly as possible.
The commentator said it is sad that up to now schools do not have resources to equip students with knowledge such as learning materials and teachers which he said has further contributed to this year’s poor MSCE exam performance.
He further added that the abolishment of Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) has as well negatively affected MSCE results claiming JCE examination gives a learner impression of a national examination.
Mkhutche also said government must stop looking at education as a mere rite of passage, but it should be taken as a ground where the future of this country is made or broken, hence need for improvement in the whole industry.
“We should not only focus on examination results. We need education that has a positive effect on the student in the practical world as well. However, we need to invest in resources to make sure our education is working.
“We must face it that our schools do not have resources to equip students with knowledge. There are no enough teachers, books or even school blocks to create a conducive environment for the learners. These are things we need to work on,” said Mkhutche.
Meanwhile, it has been established that Catholic-run Likuni Boys Secondary School and private-owned Maranatha Academy has one student each who have scooped six points a development which Mkhutche said is an emphasis on the need of improvement.
“Reduction in number of those scooping 6 points cannot only be understood using our general education standards, it also depends on standards of marking. However, our concern should not be number of those scooping 6 points, but general education standards; if they are delivering the knowledge needed, not just for examinations but practice in the real world,” he added.
Commenting on the issue, Maranatha Academy’s Managing Director Ernest Kawonga said his institution has most of the requirements for the excellent performance.
Kawonga then concurred with Mkhutche that there is really a need to work on the challenges the education sector is facing for the betterment of the country’s future.
In 2019, only one student from Zomba Catholic Secondary School scored six points in the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations.
