JCE exams invigilators yet to receive allowances
Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) has not yet released allowances for the teachers who are invigilating and supervising the ongoing Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examination forcing them to use own money in transport and accommodation.
Some of the teachers said the development is so dire for teachers who were assigned to schools that are many kilometres away from their work stations.
“We need to find a place for our accommodation in the areas where we are invigilating or supervising and that’s the whole essence of giving us night allowances. It is surprising and unfortunate that the allowances which are meant for that purpose are nowhere to be seen and we wonder what these people are thinking about us. Now that Maneb has failed to give us what is rightfully ours, we are forced to dig deep into our own pockets to work for the national examinations,” an invigilator in Mwanza said.
Maneb spokesperson Simeon Maganga said the exercise is yet to be funded and the board is still waiting for funding from the Treasury.
Maganga said the funds available at the board are not enough for all the people that are involved in the exercise.
“If you remember, last year we were paying 50 percent of the money that each individual was supposed to receive. But we received a lot of complaints from some people that the money given in half does not work better for them. When we started the exercise we did not have enough money to pay at once. So, we are waiting for additional funding to pay all of them at once,” Maganga said.
He could not tell when the funds will be available but said the board is optimistic that the Treasury will treat the issue with urgency.
Teachers who supervised and invigilated Primary School Leaving Certificate (PSLC) examinations last month received their allowances a week before the exercise.
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