Standard Bank’s Unayo eases MANEB examination and ID fees payment
Students throughout Malawi will no longer have to queue on the line to pay for their 2023 national examinations following the introduction of a secure digital platform by Standard Bank through which the candidates or their parents and guardians can pay right in the comfort of their homes.
The bank has partnered with the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) to facilitate payment of examination and identity card fees through Unayo. Unayo is a digital payment platform accessible on mobile devices through the *247# short code, Unayo mobile Application (available on Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Huawei App Gallery) and through the Unayo website.
MANEB Executive Director Professor Dorothy Nampota confirmed the development in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, saying this is part of the e-registration that the Board is implementing for students in primary and secondary schools in conjunction with the Ministry of Education.
“The E-registration platform is integrated with convenient and electronic modes of payment. Unayo comes in as a practical payment option for students, their parents or guardians on all mobile networks to pay examination fees from anywhere in Malawi. The new electronic application process will require a candidate to register with a MANEB approved examination centre online after which they will receive a 14-digit invoice number. The student or their guardian should then use the invoice number to make payment at the nearest Unayo merchant or on the Unayo App,’’ said Nampota.
Standard Bank plc Head of Client Solutions, Ewen Hiwa, said with Unayo, MANEB examination fee payment is free of charge, as students can simply visit their nearest merchant with the relevant fee in cash or pay conveniently on the Unayo App, allowing customers to transact from wherever they are in Malawi.
Hiwa said e-registration and payment systems are replacing the traditional excel based registration process and over the counter payment systems.
A joint statement from MANEB and Standard Bank says with the web-based E-registration system, MANEB provides examination centres a secure online portal to register candidates, upload ID photos, verify details and correct any possible errors earlier within the registration process and before payment of the examination fees.
To pay MANEB examination fees, clients can visit their nearest Unayo merchant with their 14-digit invoice number and the relevant fee in cash. The Merchant will receive the cash and is able to facilitate payment to MANEB on the client’s behalf. Once on the App, the merchant selects ‘Buy’ and then under ‘Other Services’ navigates to ‘National Examination Board’. An SMS is sent to the merchant phone for successful payment.
Unayo App, customers need to sign in, then go to buy, select other services; choose National Examinations Board, insert their invoice number and click next, after viewing the details a customer can then confirm the payment.
A successful payment will generate an SMS sent to the customer’s registered phone number. Registration of candidates for the 2023 national examinations is underway and the deadline for payment of examination fees is 16th December, 2022, reads the statement.
