Celebrating the end of 2013 MSCE examinations mediocrity

Celebrating the end of 2013 MSCE examinations mediocrity

Yesterday, Malawi bus depots, across the country, were jam-packed with most Form Four students leaving for their respective homes to take a breather after sitting for the country's last national exams at secondary school level.

They celebrated. Some of them even jeered at innocent onlookers for reasons only known to themselves. But, when I observed this in the Mzuzu Bus Depot, I gnashed and ground my teeth in pain.

Weren't these learners celebrating the end of 'protected examinations' which were punctuated with leakages from day one? I use protected because that's the word the Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) chief Roy Hauya and National Police mouthpiece Rhoda Manjolo used when they got reports from the well-meaning public that examinations were selling like chickens in Ndirande, Chikanda, Chibavi and Pa Tomasi trading centres and many others in the country at discussable prices.

What is wrong?

Nyasa Times had, by last Friday,  reported over ten cases of this year's Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations but; disturbingly, nothing from either Maneb and the Ministry of Education [MoE] has been said as regards way forward.

The question that quickly comes to mind here is that: are there duty minded people who care about the welfare of tax-payers'  money at these [Maneb and MoE] institutions? It is very sad today that despite stiffening the punishment on those found flouting examination rules, cheating and examination leakages seem to be cruising for the worse. Something, somewhere must be wrong!

Or, is it that this has been the case all long but the media was not providing enough coverage? Yes, why 'too much' publicity now and 'too little' then? Should the media premise guarantee us to conclude that examination leakages are more rampant now than ever before?

But the young men and women I found in Mzuzu Bus Depot-our future lawyers, doctors, nurses and teachers-celebrated that they were done with the examinations which most of them described as 'bonya' (cheap).

Grooming a generation of cheats, illegal dealers.

Remember the arrest of 14 girls at Multipular Private Secondary School in Mzimba for illegal possession of exams? Girls, I say. Sad. I mean, what generation are we grooming? Is it not one of cheats, illegal dealers?

The more our Maneb and the MoE continue casting a blind eye on such leakages the more slowly but steadily we are teaching our young men and women to indulge in uncooth deals of all sorts. When these girls, for example, find their way to the university, they will be the same who will be putting lecturers into sexual temptations for the sake of better marks. I mean, with the examination thievery we are but tolerating as a nation, our young men and women will be the worst in corruption deals and all other crimes you can dream about.

Is that what we want for Malawi?

Way forward

In 2007, a similar case occurred. Examinations were stashed in the streets of Malawi at negotiable prices. Then, during the late Pres Bingu wa Mutharika era, it was directed by government that the papers which were grievously leaked should be re-written. It was done.

Now, after six years, the same has happened. Will our children be re-writing the exams at our burden. If you asked me, I think the whole process is own its own extravagant of our hard-earned resources. If Masiteni Joyce Banda's government decides to replicate the 2007 saga, it should be prepared to provide 'our' cash for extra printing costs, water and electricity bills in our secondary schools and allowances for supervisors and their teams. Now, that's a fortune that could otherwise help build a simple bridge or two for the people of Mwamkumbwa in Chitipa or buy beds and matresses for that hospital in the Veep's Mzimba district.

Granted, I feel like something else other than re-writing the examinations should be the solution. We should sit down and brainstorm as a nation on what really is rotting up at Maneb. We just replaced Mathews Matemba with Bwana Roy Hauya not long ago. If he is proving to be incompetent why should he keep on basking in hefty allowances at Maneb at our expense?

The thing here is that some people, I am sure, have over-stayed at Maneb and might be the perpetrators of this kind of examination mediocrity. If Masiteni is really committed towards moving education standards in this country for the better, let her commission another inquiry on Maneb that will find out what's happening and let all those who will be found smelling be kicked out like she did with Ambwiye Bright Msaka and that police 'top dog'.

For institutions like Maneb, people aren't supposed to be there for long to grow wings [Let's us the Kabaka Mutesa's style of leadership here, it helps]. Once they do that, they will hammer deals with some of our trying private secondary schools in the country who will offer them hefty amounts of money-may be thrice their monthly incomes. And, who hates money? Regular changes at the institution will prevent some of these problems.