The Ministry of Education has directed that Form Four student should return to school on December 28 and the students will sit for the fresh Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) exams within a month after reporting to school.
In a statement on Sunday, Secretary for Education Chikondano C. Mussa said the early return will allow students to prepare for the re-sitting of the Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations.
Mussa said the directive is applicable to all public and private secondary schools but the ministry does not expect schools to demand fees from the students.
“The Ministry is aware that at the time of cancellation of examinations, Form Four students had not fully utilized their fees for term three which is normally paid in full. The Ministry therefore directs that no school shall demand fees from the students as examinations will be administered within one month from the day the students report at school,” said Mussa.
She added that no student will be required to pay examination fees for practical or theory papers as this cost will be shouldered by Government.
The fresh exams mean newly selected Form One students will report for schools on 1st February, 2021 instead of early January in order to create space the MSCE candidates.
Students will re-sit for the MSCE exams after the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) cancelled the MSCE exams on 4 November due to massive leakage of exam papers.
MANEB planned to re-administer the exams starting in March but President Lazarus Chakwera ordered MANEB to ensure that the exams start before the end of January.
