* The Academy has received exam results but some students have not received and have to re-sit in November
* Instead of all the series of Exams 2023 being disqualified, which could have occurred, only specific papers and students were disqualified
* It was also possible that the Cambridge Board could have stopped the Academy from being a Cambridge Centre
By Victor Singano Jnr
Though UK’s Cambridge emailed in confidentially to Kamuzu Academy new examination papers to replace the papers that were tampered with in May, the examiner’s Board has ordered the institution to re-administer International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations that were affected in the leakage.
In May, Headmaster A. Lambert-Knott informed the parents and guardians of his affected students that a deputy examination officer at the Academy discovered to have opened secured envelopes containing three subjects of the IGCSE examinations and was fired.
Lambert-Knott reported then that “detection and investigations were done before the days set for those examinations”, and assured the parents and guardians that after informing Cambridge’s Examination Office, it “responded promptly and emailed confidentially to the Academy new examination papers to replace the papers that were tampered with”
Headmaster Lambert-Knott
“All students sat the new set of papers in those subjects,” he had said. “As such, the breach will have no effect on the integrity of the examinations that students sat for at the Kamuzu Academy.”
But he has followed up with another announcement to the parents, dated Wednesday, August 16, saying they have received results of the examinations but some students have not received and have to re-sit in November.
“Even though this is an inconvenience, the Cambridge Board have been satisfied with the rigorous actions taken by the Academy to continue its status as a centre,” he said. “This has meant that instead of all the series of Exams 2023 being disqualified, which could have occurred, only specific papers and students were disqualified.
“It was also possible that the Cambridge Board could have stopped the Academy from being a Cambridge Centre but because of our honest and thorough cooperation with the Cambridge Board this has not occurred.
“In addition, we have now stepped up the security around all External Exams in order for an incident like this to never reoccur.
Advertisement
“Unfortunately, all Form 5 students will receive no results for their Mathematics IGCSE but they are able to retake this in November 2023 at the Academy’s expense.
“For the students who remain at the Academy there will be extra Mathematics IGCSE lessons laid on for them in addition to them continuing with their ‘A’ level courses.
“It must be reiterated that this is the decision of CIE who received and reviewed all statements directly from students and staff and therefore, Kamuzu Academy as a Cambridge Centre, must comply,” said the Headmaster.
A letter of notification received by a parent, which we have seen, indicates the conclusion of the investigation of Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) “is that the integrity of the IGCSE Mathematics (0580) examinations was compromised and that as such they cannot have confidence in the answer scripts for any of the Mathematics examinations taken”.
Lambert-Knott also said the CAIE has conducted an investigation into the malpractice of the Mathematics teacher who was also the Assistant Examinations Officer, saying: “As the malpractice of the member of staff has affected all of the component papers taken, the board is unable to calculate marks for the candidates.
“Therefore, candidates will receive “NO RESULT” in the 0580 Mathematics examinations. It is important to emphasise that this very unfortunate and totally unprecedented situation has arisen as a result of the behaviour of one rogue individual, who broke the well-established rules and protocols surrounding the security of examination papers.
“Kamuzu Academy has always taken seriously the security of examination materials and the storage and protocols we had in place met CAIE standards. Indeed, Kamuzu Academy has always passed the annual inspections by the exam board.
“However, in the light of this event, we have now put in place a series of additional measures to tighten security, which mean that no individual can access examinations alone, in the future.”
The parent bemoaned the inconvenience, saying his child, who passed the other subjects with distinction is very upset and took a lot of persuasion for her to consider to re-sit the mathematics exam.
Kamuzu Academy’s website indicates that it is a selective, co-educational boarding school for pupils in the 11 to 18 age range and its rural setting, far from the distractions of large towns or cities, allows pupils to concentrate fully upon their educational development.
The Academy offers courses leading to the IGCSE examinations of the University of Cambridge and other UK examining bodies at the end of Form 5, and to GCE AS and A levels at the end of the Lower and Upper 6th Forms respectively.
Its lower school courses (Forms 1 to 3) are influenced by, but not tied to, the UK National Curriculum. It also offers the theory examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and is a centre for the US-based SAT examinations.
Its three academic terms run from September to December, January to March and April to June, about 36 weeks in total.
Its wide-ranging curriculum covers English (language & literature), Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Latin, Greek, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, ICT, French, Geography, Religious Studies, Economics, Business Studies, Law, CDT, Art & Design, Music and Physical Education.
The Classics form an important part of its ethos, and one Classical subject is compulsory at IGCSE.
the picture used is of Mr Andrew Wild, former head and retired