The Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) has announced a significant change to the national examination calendar, saying that starting this year, the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) exams will be administered before the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination (PSLCE).
Professor Nampota
Traditionally, Malawi’s national exams begin with the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination, followed by the JCE and then the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE). However, MANEB Executive Director Professor Dorothy Nampota said this sequence will now be reversed for 2026.
Speaking to journalists, Professor Nampota said the decision comes in response to public recommendations from parents, teachers, education experts and other stakeholders. Many of these groups had called for an adjustment to the timetable to improve learning outcomes, increase time spent in the classroom, and reduce the length of time students spend out of school between exam cycles.
“Let me inform the nation that we will be starting with the JCE examination, then the Primary examinations, and later finishing with MSCE,” Professor Nampota said. She added that the new structure is intended to create more contact time between learners and teachers, giving students a better opportunity to revise, improve subject understanding and prepare more effectively for each set of exams.
MANEB has also confirmed that all national examinations for 2026 will officially begin on June 1. The board said that detailed timetables for each exam level will be published soon to allow students, schools and parents to prepare.
Under the new arrangement:
JCE exams will be the first national exams students sit in 2026. This affects students in Junior Secondary Schools who are finishing their JCE curriculum.
Primary School Leaving Certificate Exams (PSLCE) will be administered after the JCE. Primary school learners will complete their final school assessments later in the exam cycle.
MSCE exams for senior secondary students will be scheduled last, as in previous years.
Education stakeholders have broadly welcomed the change. Supporters say the new timetable will reduce exam pressure on young learners who previously sat PSLCE at the start of the year, only to wait months before progressing to junior secondary levels.
Some teachers have also said the shift may help schools manage teaching time more efficiently by reducing long breaks in the academic calendar that can disrupt learning.
However, some parents and school administrators have raised concerns about how the change will affect academic planning, school calendars and the transition between education levels. In response, MANEB has assured the public that consultation will continue and guidance materials will be provided to schools ahead of the exams.
Professor Nampota emphasised that the change is not meant to disadvantage any group of learners but to strengthen the overall education system and ensure that students are better supported throughout the year.
“The adjustment is informed by the desire to improve the education experience of our learners, to give them more valuable time with their teachers, and ultimately support higher student performance across all levels,” she said.
As the education sector prepares for this new exam schedule, all eyes are now on June 1, when the first set of national exams under the new system will begin. Parents, teachers and learners are being urged to begin preparations early to ensure a smooth transition in this historic adjustment to Malawi’s examination calendar.
