7 teachers, school leaver arrested over Malawi 2016 PSLCE exam: Court grants bail

A total of eight people were arrested during the three-day administration of the 2016 Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examination which ran from 11th to 13th May, 2016.

Maganga: Exams cheats arrested
Maganga: Exams cheats arrested

The eight include five primary school head teachers (of which four were working as examination administration supervisors), two primary school teachers (of which one was working as an invigilator) and a school leaver.

However, Magistrates Courts have released three of the suspected culprits on bail pending after pleading not guilty to offences levelled against them.

According to Malawi National Examination Board (Maneb) Public Relations Officer, Simeon Maganga on Friday 13th Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court free on bail Chiyeso Jifa, a  supervisor at
Mkazomba Cluster Center in Lilongwe Rural East (Bunda area).

Jifa was arrested on allegation that he went to collect examination papers without police escort and lost an envelope containing unwritten English examination papers in the process. The case was contrary to Maneb (Amendment) Act, 2003, Section 14 subsection 3(a) and (b). The case was adjourned to Thursday 19th May.

The court on same Friday 13th,  the Lilongwe Magistrate Court on Friday  released on bail same Elise Dumbo-Zimba, 42, who was an invigilator at Thawale Cluster Center in Lilongwe Rural East (Bunda
area).

Dumbo-Zimba was arrested on allegations that she revealed answers to candidates through dictation during an English paper.

When interviewed separately by Maneb officials, both the candidates and the invigilator are said to have confessed to have committed the alleged crime under Maneb (Amendment) Act, 2003, Section 14(2b) which prohibits revealing of answers to examination questions orally or otherwise.

Dumbo-Zimba , however, changed her stand in court and pleaded not guilty forcing the State to parade two witnesses who testified against her. The matter was adjourned to 25th May, 2016, when the State will further parade a third witness.

Further, the police also arrested Thawale Cluster Centre supervisor Winston Nankumba, 47, for allegedly allowing the invigilator to commit the crime under his watch. This was contrary to MANEB (Amendment) Act, 2003, Section 14(3b) which prohibits negligence.

And Nankumba was released on bail by Lilongwe Magistrate Court on Friday 13th May, 2016, after pleading not guilty.

The state paraded two State witnesses who testified against him. The matter was adjourned to 25th May, 2016, when the State will further parade a third witness.

According to Maganga among those arrested include Faith Lawrence, 17, and head teacher of Chipwepwete Primary School, Noel Lunguja who have since been charged line with Maneb Regulations Section 29(18) as read together with Section 14(8) of Maneb (Amendment) Act, 2003.

Police also arrested Moses Derema, a teacher at Kagolo Primary School but working as an invigilator, for allegedly assisting his son and the son’s friend during the Chichewa paper. This was contrary to MANEB (Amendment) Act, 2003, Section 14(2b) which prohibits revealing of answers to examination questions orally or otherwise.

In  Ntcheu, police  arrested  the head teacher of Kandoma Primary School, Frackson Mpinganjira, 37, and a teacher at the same school, George Emiliyo, 36, for alleged examination misconduct. Their actions were contrary to MANEB (Amendment) Act, 2003, Section 14 subsection 3(a) and (b) which calls for taking due care of examination materials and taking reasonable steps to ensure security of national  examinations.

“Should all these get convicted, MANEB Act puts the maximum sentence at 10 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) and a fine of K300,000. Maneb will fight tooth and nail to ensure that these cases are concluded as soon as possible and will further advocate for stiffer disciplinary measures on convicted teachers to deter would be offenders,” warned Maganga.

“Maneb would like to thank the excellent job that invigilators in Chikwawa did by discovering the malpractice and the police for effecting the arrest on the spot. We would further wish to thank the
general public for all the tip-offs received during the examination.”

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Gamphani
7 years ago

Shame 2 ma fellow teachers! Lack of confidence!

Headteacher
7 years ago

Maganga, do you know that your website still has archaic information? Why SHOULD you still have 2015 timetables, or have you posted 2016 ones in the past week? Wake up don’t sleep on your job.
And if you want quality pay your invigilators well. Your perks STINK!

watereka
watereka
7 years ago

harsh penalties here akwizingeni basi

Tk
Tk
7 years ago

Musanene za ku north. Tikuulurani

Francis
Francis
7 years ago

qota system iyo tayiwona. you are busy blaming Northerners that they teach each other and copy exams without prove but now God has revealed to us that chikwawa from Southern Region is behind the copying.

Thanks God. North is not part of this.

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