MANEB seeks $1.5 million to offset exam costs

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Nampota

The Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) needs approximately US$1.5 million, which is equivalent to K2.826 billion, to settle the balance for printing three national examinations administered in 2024.

During the meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Education on Wednesday, MANEB Executive Director Prof. Dorothy Nampota disclosed that the examination printing costs have reached US$2.7 million, with the board having paid only a fraction of the total amount.

Despite successfully administering leakage-free examinations, the board faced several operational challenges, including late registration by schools, errors in entries, and delays in examination fee payments by parents.

This situation forced MANEB to reopen its registration portal to accommodate affected candidates.

Professor Nampota highlighted underfunding as a major issue, revealing that MANEB is also struggling to meet its salary obligations.

“We are now looking for K600 million to pay the board’s employees for the remaining three months of the 2024/2025 financial year,” she stated.

The board is now seeking urgent financial intervention to ensure smooth operations and future examination administration.