Five people were yesterday arrested over malpractices during the ongoing 2016 Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examination.
MANEB Public Relations Officer Simeon Maganga confirmed of the development in a statement.

According to Maganga, MANEB arrested Faith Lawrence in Mpemba, Blantyre for writing examinations on behalf of a candidate.

“Our investigations revealed that Lawrence already completed his secondary school education but was writing the exam as part of an impersonation scheme which the head teacher for Chipwepwete School, Noel Lunguja, was coordinating,” reads in part the statement.

Both Lawrence and Lunguja, were arrested as their action was contrary to MANEB Regulations Section 29(18) as read together with Section 14(8) of MANEB Act.

In Bunda area in Lilongwe East, a supervisor at Mkazomba Cluster Center, Chiyeso Jifa, was arrested for collecting examination papers without police escort and losing an envelope containing unwritten English examination papers in the process. This was contrary to MANEB Act Section 14 subsection 3(a) and (b).

In the same Bunda area, but now at Thawale Cluster Center, invigilator Elise Zimba Gumbo was arrested for dictating answers during an English paper. Both the candidates and the invigilator confessed that it happened. This was contrary to MANEB Act Section 14(2b) which prohibits revealing of answers to examination questions.

The supervisor, Winston Nankumba, at the same Thawale was also arrested as investigations revealed that he was present when the invigilator was dictating answers to the candidates. This was contrary to MANEB Act Section 14(3b). All the suspects were handed over to Lilongwe Police Station for prosecution.

If found guilty, the maximum sentence is 10 years imprisonment with hard labour and payment of a K3000 fine.