Over 200 results nullified as performance rises in Form Two and Std Four national exams
Necta's executive secretary, Dr. Said Mohamed
Dar es Salaam. The National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) announced on Sunday the cancellation of results for 223 students caught cheating or writing insults in their 2023 Standard Four and Form Two national assessments.
While overall performance improved slightly, the figure, down from previous years, highlights a persistent yet shrinking challenge.
Cracking Down on Malpractice: 178 Standard Four and 28 Form Two students were caught cheating, losing their results.
Three Standard Four and 14 Form Two scripts were nullified for containing insults. This comes shortly after The Citizen exposed a network facilitating exam malpractice, raising concerns about academic integrity.
Despite no school closures for malpractice this year, Necta emphasised its commitment to cracking down on all forms of cheating.
"We are committed to upholding the integrity of our education system," stressed Dr. Said Mohamed, Necta's executive secretary. "This situation is decreasing... We continue to reduce it as much as we can."
Despite the malpractices, the results show an upward trajectory. In Standard Four, 83.34 percent of students passed with grades A-D, up 0.39 percent from 2022.
Click here to see Form Two 2023 Results
Click this link to see Standard IV 2023 Results
Girls (84.79%) slightly outperformed boys (81.78 percent). Similarly, Form Two saw a 0.13 percent increase in pass rate, with 85.31 percent succeeding.
Notably, 53,096 students, 9.84 percent more than last year, qualified for Form Three. Girls again led with 83.66% success rate compared to 87.28 eprcent for boys.
However, concerns remain regarding performance in natural sciences, mathematics, and technology. Subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Agriculture, and Basic Mathematics continue to exhibit below-average performance
Education expert Dr. Jane Makori emphasizes the need for a holistic approach. "Cheating is a symptom of deeper issues," she says.
"We need to shift towards holistic learning to make students truly competent." She calls for a strategy in the ongoing education transformation to address exam malpractice and "save children's dreams."
Dr. Makori also highlights the importance of ethical values. "We, as stakeholders, must reshape the narrative to ensure a future where integrity and excellence go hand in hand. We have to find out why our children write insults in exams."
