By Blackson Mkupatira
Minister of Education Bright Msaka has described this year’s Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examinations as the most organised, citing a conducive examination environment and absence of major incidents since the examinations started on Monday.
Speaking during a monitoring visit to Lilongwe Girls Secondary School on Tuesday, Msaka said reports from across the country indicate that the examinations are progressing smoothly.
“My team and I have been going around the country monitoring how the examinations have started, and I am happy and proud to announce that these are the best and most organised JCE examinations we have ever experienced,” said Msaka.
He said more than 161,000 candidates are sitting for the examinations nationwide and that no incidents of concern had been reported since the start of the examinations.
“From yesterday, we have received no report of any incident that is of concern, so I am happy,” he said.Msaka encouraged candidates to remain focused and trust the knowledge acquired during their studies, saying the examinations are based on the syllabus teachers are expected to complete.
He said the examinations also provide an opportunity to assess learners’ understanding and the quality of teaching in schools, expressing hope that this year’s performance will improve from last year’s national pass rate of 77 percent.
“This is the time to assess how much knowledge our children have acquired and also the quality of our teaching. Therefore, this is an important method of assessing how our education system is progressing,” said Msaka.
The minister added that government’s introduction of free secondary education has helped reduce the financial burden on learners, with examination fees for most candidates being paid by government.
Commenting on the increasing number of girls sitting for the examinations, Msaka described the trend as encouraging and in line with government’s policy of promoting equal opportunities in education.“This is extremely encouraging for us in the ministry because government policy is to ensure that we provide equal opportunities to both boys and girls,” he said.
Headteacher for Lilongwe Girls Secondary School Royce Kuntamura said the examinations had started smoothly without challenges.
Kuntamura said the school has 160 candidates sitting for the examinations and expressed confidence that the institution would achieve a 100 percent pass rate.
Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) started administering the JCE examinations on June 1 and the examinations are expected to conclude on June 10.
