HEALTH MINISTRY PROBES EXAM LEAKS
By MUYANI SHINJABALE and CHIKUMBI KATEBE
THE cancellation of end of year examinations for nurses by the General Nursing Council of Zambia has been supported by National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQUEZ).
And Ministry of Health has instituted investigations into the examination leakages linked to the nurses’ end of year finals.
NAQUEZ Executive Director, Aaron Chansa said nullifying the 2017 theory exams for nurses due to rampant leakages will send a strong message to those who want to get important certificates in a questionable manner.
Mr. Chansa stated that the bold decision by GNCZ was very welcome and should be emulated by the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) and all examining institutions in the country.
He urged the ECZ to be courageous enough to do the same thing for Grade 9 examinations because such exams were generally not credible at all.
“Examination leakages in Zambia have reached frightening levels and it will take decisive actions to eradicate them.
The country is in real danger because it is sad that the dangerous vice had even gone to all disciplines of education and training,” Mr. Chansa lamented.
He said the GNCZ should go before the nation and disclose the source of those leakages in order to find a lasting solution that will provide quality education in Zambia.
Mr. Chansa urged the Zambians to rise up and condemn examination leakages in strongest terms to ensure that stern action was taken against perpetrators of the crime. He added that NAQEZ expected the Church and politicians to strongly speak against exam leakages to promote quality education in the country.
Ministry of health head of communication Stanslas Ngosa said Zambian health workers were among the most respected professional in the world, and it would be unfortunate to move forward without finding a lasting solution to the problem at hand in the training of health personnel in the country.
He said there must be a way of maintaining the confidence the public and the world over have in the local health sector and called for support for the investigations.