The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has asked government to allow over 29,000 students to sit for national exams for free, saying government should not be collecting exam fees from parents and guardians who are still recovering from the devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha.
The party has said this in a statement today following revelations that 29,800 students will not sit for national examinations after failing to pay exam fees to Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB).
Yesterday, MANEB extended the period of paying for the fees to Friday this week to allow the students to pay.
In the statement, DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba has said that the number of students who have failed to pay has increased from 15,000 in 2022 to 29,800 in 2023 and this is an indication that the Tonse Alliance Government has left the education sector to manage itself.
The party in its statement has also faulted the government for allowing MANEB to continue collecting examinations fees from parents and guardians who have been affected by economic shocks while schools have also been allowed to increase fees.
The DPP has since demanded government to allow thousands of students who are yet to pay exam fees to sit for the exams for free.
The party has also asked government to abolish exam fees for Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) exams to align it with free primary education policy.
“[Government] should take over the cost of preparation and administration of examinations as a way of providing relief to parents and guardians who are trying to recover from all sorts of economic hardships,” the DPP says.
Meanwhile, Malawians on social media have been contributing funds to pay for students whose guardians are yet to pay for the national exams.
