Slight drop in 2024 GCE performance.

The results, released yesterday by the Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Nalova Lyonga, showed performance plunged by 6.5%, compared to last year’s session. 

According to the head of the transition management team of the GCE Board, Ndi Bernadette, the overall performance of students during the 2024 session stood at 60.8% passed.

The results cut across the GCE Ordinary and Advanced Levels, as well as the Technical and Vocational Education Examination Intermediate and Advanced Level. 

Speaking to the State broadcaster, CRTV, the head of the transition management team at the GCE Board, said there was an increase in the number of candidates registered for the examinations. 

Contrary to the previous edition, this year's session also dropped in the occurrences of examination malpractices, with only 180 candidates banned across the country.

“We decided to work more on preventing the candidates from getting involved in examination malpractices of any form...all the measures we put in place have yielded good fruits because we had about 1,800 candidates who were banned last year. But this year, we had up to 90% drop. That has brought the number of candidates who have been banned to 180,” Ndi said. 

As part of the measures to prevent the occurrence of exam malpractices, security camaras were installed in some examination centres nationwide to spur control and supervision on both candidates and invigilators. 

Meanwhile, the results of some 21 candidates are still being withheld by the GCE Board. The head of the transition management team revealed that the candidates’ results were withheld due to suspected exam malpractices, which require further investigations. 

“We are going to invite those involved like the school authorities and the candidates concerned to come so that we can interview them to get more information,” she explained, before assuring that the withheld results would be released within a month upon the completion of the investigations. 

“We don’t have full schools that have been sanctioned. We only have candidates who were involved in the exam malpractices who have been sanctioned,” she added. 

In addition, the Board also sanctioned two teachers for their involvement in examination malpractices. 

The said teachers have been banned for at least three years from any involvement in activities organised by the GCE Board.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3179 of Thursday July 25, 2024