‘77 examination centres tampered with maths envelopes’

FINDINGS from the investigations on the examinations malpractice revealed that 77 centres across the country tampered with the envelopes of the 2018 Mathematics paper 2 with intend to defraud the system, General Education Minister David Mabumba has disclosed. And Mr Mabumba told Parliament yesterday that the frequency of tempering incidence ranked Central province in the first position at 38 percent with Mumbwa district as the most erring followed by Mazabuka in Southern Province at 14.3 percent. Mr Mabumba said this when he delivered a ministerial statement on the lifting of the suspension on the 2018 school examinations. Mr Mabumba said the investigations revealed that 248 schools had opened the envelopes of the nullified paper and administered the examinations. He said it was reported that the opening and administering of the nullified Mathematics paper 2 envelopes was due to accessibility and communication difficulties among PEOs, the DEBs and school administration in concerned schools. He said the affected schools were largely in isolated and hard- to-reach areas. Mr Mabumba, however, said 77 examination centres tampered with the nullified paper 2 with intent to defraud the system. He said some of the examination centres attempted to seal the envelopes with glue or other adhesive materials. "Some of such envelopes had at least one question paper missing from the envelope.