Maneb hikes examination fees by 100 percent

Examination administrators, the Malawi National Examination Board (Maneb) has hiked all examination fees by 100 per cent.

A letter from director of finance at Maneb, Thomas Dokota says administration and centre fees for Primary School Leaving Certificate is now at K400 per student, up from K200 and the same fee for Malawi School Certificate of Education is at K700 up from K300.

Primary School Leaving Certificates candidates will now pay K80 per subject up from K40 whilst their MSCE counterparts will pay K800 per subject from K400.

The identity card fee for candidates are now pegged at K2000 from K1000.

The new examination fee hike starts from the 2017 academic year.

However this has angered education activist Benedicto Kondowe who said such hidden education costs affects negatively the quality of education.

“These education costs will make the right to education a night mere. Not all parents can afford these costs. Maneb should find other means of funding these costs,” said Kondowe.

However Maneb officials were not available for comment on Kondowe’s concerns.