NECTA Scraps Results For 1,059 Candidates

NATIONAL Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) has nullified the 2020 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results of 1,059 candidates across the country over cheating.

Necta Executive Secretary, Dr Charles Msonde, told reporters on Saturday (November 21, 2020) in Dar es Salaam that the number of candidates who were found cheating in the examination is equivalent to 0.1 per cent of all 1,023,950 candidates who sat for the exam.

Dr Msonde said a total of 38 primary schools, equivalent to 0.22 per cent of all 17,329 schools that wrote the exam, were found to have engaged in deceptive practices on the examination in various ways.

“The examination committees played their roles effectively, however, there have been a number of cheating cases taking place in some primary schools in the country that made Necta at its 138th meeting held on November 21, 2020, to come to a decision that candidates who were found guilty of cheating on the exams should have their results cancelled,” he noted.

He said in the first incident, the head teacher of Ngiloli Primary School in Gairo District Council, Morogoro Region, Abdulla Luanda, appeared at his school with examination answers for all subjects held on October 7-8, 2020.

“Necta was informed by a local resident that Mr Luanda invited his fellow primary school head teachers of Nguyami Primary School – Hamis Ligogo, Ibuti – Aaron Madizi, Ihenje – Constantine Ndwata, Mogohigwa – Robert Kadazima, Chakwale – Muhidin Liganja and Modest Christian and gave them the examination answers,” he said.

Dr Msonde said in collaboration with the Morogoro Regional Examinations Committee and the Gairo District Council, the teachers were arrested on the morning of October 7 and found to have examination answers to all the subjects in their smartphones, so the committees prevented the school’s candidates from being given examination answers except for Msingisi Primary School.

Another incident is that of Nyawa A Primary School, located in Bariadi Rural Council, Simiyu region, where on October 7, 2020, after the examination was completed for the three lessons of the day, Necta was informed by a Good Samaritan that there were examination malpractices which took place in the school that day.

It was reported that the headmaster of the school, Joseph Fisso and Busiku Mbusi, together with Nyawa secondary school students, were hiding in Mbusi’s house, where after the exam started, question papers were handed over to the task force and then solved all the questions, thereafter answer sheets were then returned to the examination room to assist candidates.

The Simiyu regional exam committee and the Bariadi rural exam committee followed up on the report on the second day of the exam on 8 October 2020, and found that teacher Matondo had agreed with supervisor Juma Mahangila to commit fraud.

He mentioned that the Council received a report of examination malpractices from Mvomero and Gairo District Council in Gairo Primary School, Kibogoji, Ng’wambe, Digalama, Dihinda, Ngiloli, Bwawani, Ibuti, Ihenje, Mogohigwa, Chakwale, Msingisi and Nguyami.

Other Primary Schools are Chabutwa in Sikonge Tabora, Usagari in Uyui Tabora, Siashimbwe in Moshi District Council, Dominion in Arusha, Matogoro in Tandahimba Mtwara, Ng’alita in Bariadi rural, Olkitikiti in Kiteto and Nyamimina in Buchosa