The Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) was founded in April, 1987, as a result of a merger between the Malawi Certificate Examinations and Testing Board (MCE&TB) and the Examinations Section of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The MCE&TB had been created in 1969 by an Act of Parliament to take charge of the process of localising the development and administration of examinations in Malawi. Prior to these developments, students finishing their secondary education used to sit for the Cambridge overseas school leaving certificate examination.
Following this decision, the MCE&TB Act was amended in April 1987 to reflect the birth of a central Authority, MANEB. This new Act gave MANEB the responsibility to develop and administer national examinations for purposes of certification, selection and placement.
MANEB is a parastatal organisation whose financial support comes largely from the Malawi Government, supplemented by fees charged on examinations and other services.
MANEB Examination Registration
Students wishing to write national examinations are supposed to register their names with any approved MANEB examination centre of their convenience. MANEB does not directly register candidates.
MANEB sets registration period which is usually the first term of an academic year. Prospective candidates are required to register during this stated period as MANEB does not entertain registration outside the required period.
Complete registration requires that a candidate registers for and pays subject fees, entry fee, administration fee, form fee (for externals only), centre fee and identity card processing fees.
Primary school students from public schools are exempted from these fees except for identity card processing fee. However, primary school pupils from private institutions are required to pay all the fees as stated above.
Registration is done electronically at MANEB examination centre level. An electronic spreadsheet, which is the same as a provisional blank nominal roll, is used for registering the candidates. Thus, instead of writing with a pen on a provisional nominal roll, a computer is used to capture the information.
Malawi School Certificate of Education
The Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) Examination is the final examination at secondary school level in Malawi. Learners who pass this examination qualify for selection into public and private colleges and universities or get absorbed into the job market.
Candidates who pass this examination are awarded with a Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE).
Conditions for the award of MSCE
Candidates are awarded the MSCE if they satisfy one of the following conditions:
either
a. Obtain a pass in six subjects, including English, with at least one distinction/credit,
or
b. Obtaining a pass in five subjects, including English, with at least three distinctions/credits.
These conditions could be satisfied in two ways:
a. Single-Examination Sitting
This is the most common way of obtaining a certificate. Here, a candidate satisfies either of the conditions as stated above in a single examination sitting.
Such certificates are automatically produced for all successful candidates for free.
b. Multiple-Examination Sitting
This occurs when a candidate fails to satisfy either of the conditions stated above in a single examination sitting. In this case, if this candidate manages to satisfy either of the conditions as stated above in not more than four consecutive examination sittings, s/he will qualify for the award of certificate.
This is called Certificate by Accumulation since the grades on this type of certificate are accumulated from various examination sittings. The certificate further indicates the year the accumulated grades were obtained.
Candidates falling in this category are required to formally apply to MANEB for production of Certificate by Accumulation by giving all their examination details. Otherwise, such certificates are not produced automatically like one-examination sitting certificates. Processing fee for the certificate by accumulation is K10,000.
Aggregation of points
This is based on the best six performed subjects (including English if it is among the best or excluding English if passed but not among the best six)
Technical Examinations
Malawi Craft
Malawi Craft Examination (MCE) is administered to learners in technical colleges after undergoing two years of vocational training.
Malawi Advanced Craft Examination
Malawi Advanced Craft Examination (MACE) is administered after undergoing four years of vocational training.
Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education
Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) Examination is written by learners who are completing their final grade at primary school. This examination is also used by the Ministry of Education to select learners to all public secondary schools.
MANEB Past Papers
The Malawi National Examination Board (MANEB) will be hosting the 11th annual conference of the Southern Africa Association for Education Assessment (SAAEA) at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi, Malawi from 17th July to 19th July.