MANEB Launches Electronic System for Registration, Payment of Exam Fees to Improve Accountability and Efficiency

Malawi: The Malawi National Examination Board (Maneb) has introduced a new electronic system for registering and paying examination fees for candidates taking the Primary School Leaving Certificate of Examinations (PSLCE), the Junior Certificate Examination (JCE), and the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE), writes Richard Kayenda.

This new system aims to address issues of accountability that have previously plagued the process.

"Such an innovation is of great importance, and it is something that the nation has been looking forward to, as it will assist in curbing most of the challenges that Maneb was facing during the preparation processes for the administration of national examinations at all levels," said Deputy Minister of Education, Monica Chang’anamuno, during the launch in Lilongwe.

The new system, piloted in 2021 in 19 Education districts in the country, replaces the Excel-based system and aims to address accountability issues that have plagued the process in the past.

Maneb’s Executive Director, Dorothy Nampota, also commented on the new system, saying "e-registration and e-payment of examination fees address the challenge of wrongly capturing information about candidates; among others."

She added that candidates or their guardians will be able to pay examination fees digitally directly to Maneb through various platforms such as National Bank’s Mo626, NBS’s Easy Bank, Standard Bank, Airtel Money, and Mpamba. The rollout of the process began in 2021 in phases, with Zomba as the pilot district.

One of Malawi’s education commentators, Benedicto Kondowe, praised the initiative, stating that it is a step in the right direction in improving education standards in the country.

He said adopting the new system will help Maneb address the numerous challenges it has faced while administering examinations.

The new system was developed with financial support from the World Bank through the Equity and Quality Learning at Secondary (EQUALS) project, which aims to improve the quality of science and mathematics subjects in Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS) in the country.

In the past, candidates used to pay their examination fees through school-based examination officers, who would deposit the fees in Maneb’s bank account and submit deposit slips and other documents physically at Maneb headquarters in Zomba.

However, this process proved to be ineffective, as some teachers entrusted with the task could misuse the fees before depositing them in the designated account.