The Government has cautioned students across the country to stay away from examination malpractices that erode the credibility of qualifications and workforce competitiveness. Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technology and Science Milner Makuni said the country’s competitiveness and attractiveness to invest requires a relevant workforce that assures productivity and business efficiency.

"It is important for the TEVET sector to continuously administer credible examinations in order to produce graduates with competencies that are relevant to the needs of industry locally, regionally and globally."

Mr Makuni said to achieve national aspirations all stakeholders in the education sector such as parents, guardians, sponsors, invigilators and management of training institutions as well as students have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that examinations are conducted in accordance with the examination regulations.

He said the TEVET sector has recorded an increase in the students with an enrolment to over 100,000 students, which has included persons with disabilities in skills development programmes.

He said there was increased candidature in the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) programmes to about 100 000, as a result of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) support, attributed to the Government interventions by sponsorship in skills development programmes. 

“The management of credible TEVET examinations is a catalyst for national economic development for job and wealth creation. The Ministry will continuously administer credible examination and monitor the quality of TEVET to ensure that the country has a relevant skilled workforce, “Mr Makuni said.

He said it was unfortunate that some candidates involved themselves in examination malpractices which erode the credibility and reliability of assessments and examination processes and ultimately the qualifications.

Mr Makuni has advised all the candidates sitting for the examinations to refrain from involving themselves in malpractices, because such acts are counterproductive and a danger to the society. He has since wished all the candidates for the coming examinations success and urged them to adhere to the examination regulations.