MSCE examinations off to smooth start

Brenda Kayo, Daniel Zimba Mcloyd Chilangiza: The 2026 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations got underway nationwide Monday, with early reports indicating a smooth and incident-free start across most examination centres. In Lilongwe, examination centres visited confirmed that the process began without major challenges. At Chinsapo Secondary School, which also hosts candidates from Kakule Academy and Mphatso Private School, candidates were in place on time and ready for their papers. One candidate, Joyce Chimkango from Chinsapo Secondary School, said she felt well prepared. "I have studied all I could and I put everything in God's hands," she said. At Likuni Boys Secondary School, candidates were already in their examination rooms before 8:00 a.m. Deputy Headteacher Joshua Kholowa said the school recorded no challenges on the first day and expected the examinations to proceed smoothly throughout the period. "We are expecting good results to surpass last year's performance," he said. The school has 786 candidates sitting for this year's examinations. In Blantyre, the examinations also began smoothly, with candidates seated for their first paper by around 8:30am. At centres such as Zingwangwa and Njamba Secondary Schools, supervisors declined interviews, referring queries to the Malawi National Examinations Board. Despite limited official comment from some centres, candidates expressed confidence after completing the first paper. Alex Jali of Soche Intensive Private Secondary School said the paper was fair and aligned with what they had studied. Nationally, Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka said the examinations had started well across all education divisions. Speaking after inspecting centres in Mzuzu, Msaka said reports indicated no cases of malpractice or disruptions during the first paper. He, however, warned candidates and examination officials against cheating. At Mary Mount Catholic Girls Secondary School, manager Island Mtambo said the centre had also recorded no incidents of malpractice. She encouraged candidates to rely on their preparation. "Parents did their job very well. Teachers have imparted the right knowledge and skills. Apart from that, we have inculcated good behaviour in them. So, it is up to the students," Mtambo said. A total of 197,502 candidates are sitting this year's examinations, down from 202,940 in 2025. Of these, 94,521 are female candidates and 102,981 are male candidates.

WIRE — Brenda Kayo, Daniel Zimba Mcloyd Chilangiza: The 2026 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations got underway nationwide Monday, with early reports indicating a smooth and incident-free start across most examination centres. In Lilongwe, examination centres visited confirmed that the process began without major challenges. At Chinsapo Secondary School, which also hosts candidates from Kakule Academy and Mphatso Private School, candidates were in place on time and ready for their papers. One candidate, Joyce Chimkango from Chinsapo Secondary School, said she felt well prepared. "I have studied all I could and I put everything in God's hands," she said. At Likuni Boys Secondary School, candidates were already in their examination rooms before 8:00 a.m. Deputy Headteacher Joshua Kholowa said the school recorded no challenges on the first day and expected the examinations to proceed smoothly throughout the period. "We are expecting good results to surpass last year's performance," he said. The school has 786 candidates sitting for this year's examinations. In Blantyre, the examinations also began smoothly, with candidates seated for their first paper by around 8:30am. At centres such as Zingwangwa and Njamba Secondary Schools, supervisors declined interviews, referring queries to the Malawi National Examinations Board. Despite limited official comment from some centres, candidates expressed confidence after completing the first paper. Alex Jali of Soche Intensive Private Secondary School said the paper was fair and aligned with what they had studied. Nationally, Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka said the examinations had started well across all education divisions. Speaking after inspecting centres in Mzuzu, Msaka said reports indicated no cases of malpractice or disruptions during the first paper. He, however, warned candidates and examination officials against cheating. At Mary Mount Catholic Girls Secondary School, manager Island Mtambo said the centre had also recorded no incidents of malpractice. She encouraged candidates to rely on their preparation. "Parents did their job very well. Teachers have imparted the right knowledge and skills. Apart from that, we have inculcated good behaviour in them. So, it is up to the students," Mtambo said. A total of 197,502 candidates are sitting this year's examinations, down from 202,940 in 2025. Of these, 94,521 are female candidates and 102,981 are male candidates.

"We aggregate wires to encourage regional discovery, sending readers directly back to the original source to explore full coverage."

This is a normalized overview of the breaking feed event. The complete, official release detailing all points, background context, and statements remains hosted by the original publisher.