By Pemphero Malimba:
The Malawi Prison Service (MPS) says the country’s prisons have recorded 76 percent pass rate in Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examinations and 58.6 percent pass rate in Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examinations for the 2024- 25 academic year.
MPS Spokesperson Steve Meke said this Thursday, following the recent announcement of JCE and PSLCE results.
According to Meke, out of 58 students who sat PSLCE examinations, 34 have passed while out of 47 who sat JCE examinations, 36 candidates have passed.
He said this showed an increase in the pass rate as prisons recorded 55 percent pass rate in PSLCE examinations and 54 percent pass rate in JCE examinations during the 2023-24 academic year.
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He attributed the feat to collaboration.
“We, as the Malawi prison Service, extend our heartfelt gratitude to all key stakeholders in the education sector for their unwavering support in promoting education in prison. We would like to stress that, together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of inmates by promoting rehabilitation, reducing re-offending [cases] and continuing to create safer communities through successful reintegration of offenders,” he said.
Commenting on the development, Centre for Human Rights, Education, Advise and Assistance Executive Director Victor Mhango said while the results show that more inmates are interested in continuing their studies in the prisons, there is a need for the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to take over operations of education facilities in the prisons.
Mhango said prisons were facing problems such as inadequate teaching and learning materials and teachers.
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“Each and every year, you find that the number [of those sitting examinations] is increasing. This is what we need because we want our people to get educated. The only thing missing is the link between the Prison Department and the Ministry of Education,” he said.
The ministry’s spokesperson Christopher Kapachika Banda has asked for ample time before he can comment on the matter.
The candidates sat examinations at Maula, Zomba, Blantyre, Bvumbwe, Mzuzu, Mzimba and Kachere prison facilities.
The Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the Malawi National Examinations Board, released the JCE and PSLCE examinations results on Monday.
122,977 candidates out of 158,451 candidates who sat this year’s JCE examinations passed, representing 77.61 percent overall pass rate, while 216,972 candidates out of 247,958 candidates who sat this year’s JCE examinations passed, representing 87.50 percent overall pass rate.
