Pupils attend a pre-examination parade at Seventh Day Adventists Primary School in Juba. Nov. 18, 2024. (Photo: Sebit Patrick).

Education Minister Awut Deng warns against exams malpractices as record 79,010 candidates began the Certificate of Primary Education examination across South Sudan, taking the Christian and Islamic Religious Education subjects on Monday.

According to the National Examination Council, 79,010 candidates are sitting from 551 centers countrywide – the highest number of primary school candidates ever recorded.

There were 69,573 candidates in the 2023-2024 examination, 60,831 candidates in the 2022-2023 calendar and over 50,000 children in the 2021-2022 calendar.

Speaking at the launch of the examination, the Minister of General Education appealed to the candidates to refrain cheating and portray honesty as the future leaders.

She also cautioned teachers against aiding cheating of the exams

“I want to appeal to all our teachers across the country that please refrain from any leak or cheating. Don’t help these children. You have prepared them already,” Awut said.

“To my children, please, you have already been prepared. So don’t look back and look for someone to help you. You have the brain which is smart and you can do it on your own. You are the leaders of tomorrow and I don’t want to hear anything called machot.”

Machot is a Dinka term referring to the practice of passing exams through cheating. The word has trended online over the years amid allegations of annual leaking of examination papers to students.

On his part, Vice President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol who officiated the exams called on the teachers to uphold moral integrity and professional standards in monitoring the exams. He warned that teachers who are caught aiding exam mal-practices would be prosecuted in court.

“To all the teachers, I want you to navigate with integrity and strongly direct you to maintain moral and professional high ground while monitoring exams.”

“As teachers, we have the obligation to safeguard exams and ensure malpractices are extremely prevented. As much as I warn the pupils, I also warn the teachers from adding examination malpractice.”

“Any teacher who shall be found adding examination malpractice should be dealt with through criminal prosecution. I warn all the teachers to be watchdogs and ensure that examination is conducted under strict supervision.”

Out of the 79,010 pupils sitting for the 2024 Certificate of Primary Examination across the 551 examination centers, 35,735 are girls and 43,275 are boys.

However, Simon Deng Nyok, the Secretary general for the National Examination Commission reported that about 43 candidates did not show up for the national examination due to conflict in Tonj North.

Deng assured the public of timely update on the fate of the candidates by the end of the day.