Maranatha blasts jealous rivals as school celebrates near-perfect pass rate

The head of one of Malawi’s top-performing schools has hit out at critics who he says are consumed by envy rather than curiosity, after his pupils once again dominated this year’s national exam results.

Enerst Kaonga, head of Maranatha Academy, said his school had delivered another outstanding performance in the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) exams — but instead of praise, some had responded with jealousy.

Speaking at a press conference in Blantyre, Kaonga urged fellow Malawians to abandon the culture of envy and instead seek out the secrets behind the school’s success.

He revealed that of 895 pupils who sat the exams across the school’s campuses, an impressive 848 had passed — a pass rate that will raise eyebrows across the country’s education sector.

Kaonga added that six standout students — three girls and three boys — had scored a perfect 10 points, the highest possible grade.

The results are likely to reignite debate over Malawi’s education gap, with elite private academies increasingly outperforming government-run schools, prompting questions over funding, resources and teaching standards nationwide.