ZANZIBAR: THE National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) has urged all stakeholders to report any incidents of exam fraud as 557,731 candidates begin their final Form Four examinations across the country, today.
The Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (CSEE) is scheduled to take place from November 11 to November 29, 2024, with 529,321 school candidates and 28,410 private candidates set to participate.
NECTA’s Executive Secretary, Dr Said Mohammed, revealed that of the 529,321 registered school candidates, 250,562 are boys (47.34 per cent) and 278,759 are girls (52.66 per cent).
He also highlighted that 1,088 candidates have special needs, including 601 with low vision, 56 with vision impairment, 209 with hearing impairment, 183 with physical impairment and 39 with intellectual impairment.
For the 28,410 private candidates, 11,243 are boys (39.31 per cent) and 17,243 are girls (60.69 per cent), with 18 candidates having special needs, including one with low vision, 16 with vision impairment and one with physical impairment.
Dr Mohammed assured that all preparations for the CSEE have been completed, including the distribution of exams, answer booklets and related documents to all regions across Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
The examinations will be conducted at 5,585 secondary schools and 961 private candidate centres.
Dr Mohammed emphasised the importance of the CSEE, stating that it assesses students’ proficiency in all subjects covered during their four years of secondary education.
The results are crucial for selecting students to advance to Form V or pursue other professional disciplines such as agriculture and health.
NECTA has instructed all examination committees at regional and district levels to ensure security is maintained in all centres, as per the council’s guidelines.
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The council also reminded invigilators to adhere to ethical standards and called on candidates to maintain integrity and truthfulness throughout the examination process.
Dr Mohammed further stated that school owners and principals should refrain from interfering with the duties of invigilators during the exam period.
He warned that any examination centre found compromising the safety of national exams would face severe penalties, including cancellation.
On the candidates’ side, Dr Mohammed expressed confidence in the preparation provided by teachers over the last four years.
He emphasised that the council expects all candidates to follow the examination rules.
“The council does not expect to see any candidate involved in fraudulent practices and if any candidate is found guilty of fraud, their results will be cancelled in accordance with examination regulations,” he said.
