NO sooner had the Ministry of Education announced the General Certificate of Education (GCE) results than the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) suspended some GCE examination centres.
In a statement, ECZ announced that it had indefinitely suspended eight GCE examination centres across the country, resulting in the nullification of results for thousands of candidates.
The suspended centres include; Isoko GCE Centre of Mpulungu district where 116 candidates have been affected, Mapunga GCE Centre and Kasapa Day Secondary School from Mushindamo district comes in with 204 candidates each who are affected.
Mongu’s Sefula GCE centre have been found with 653 candidates culprits while Lusaka’s Chitimukulu Secondary had 1,318 candidates affected with Gesam Secondary GCE centre having 451 candidates affected.
Bethlehem Secondary GCE centre tops the list with 1,725 candidates affected and Mukupa Kaoma Day Secondary GCE centre in Lunte district with 100 candidates affected.
ECZ public relations manager Nicolas Nkhuwa confirmed that the affected centres will not be allowed to conduct future examinations until further notice.
“ECZ hereby cautions all examination centres to guard against examination malpractices before, during or after the conduct of examinations. We encourage them to adhere to the guidelines for the administration and management of examinations in Zambia or they risk losing their centre status.”
“Prospective candidates are informed that the eight centres will not conduct examinations at this level until further notice. ECZ will not hesitate to nullify examination results for any perpetrators of examination malpractices,” warned the council.
Meanwhile the ECZ shared that out of 138,084 candidates who sat for the GCE exams nationwide, 120,660 (87.38%) passed at least one subject.
However, 17,424 candidates (12.62%) failed all subjects and those who sat for five or more subjects, only 24.72% (3,649 candidates) obtained the certificate while 5.12% (756) failed all subjects they attempted.
Additionally, in the 2024 Junior Secondary (Grade 9) external examinations, 28,310 candidates sat for six or more subjects, but only 28.94% earned certificates.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, September 10, 2024
