North keeps MSCE dominance alive

The Northern Region has once again flexed its academic muscle, taking five spots in the national top 10 as the 2026 Malawi School Certificate of Education results expose a familiar regional pattern.

According to the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB), Karonga District has emerged victorious in the rankings of the Top 10 Education Districts by distinction, leading the pack with an 11.41% distinction rate. This achievement further cements the region’s reputation for academic excellence.

In an interview, Benedicto Kondowe, the Director of the Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC), attributed the North’s sustained performance to a combination of factors.

He noted that the region benefits from a deeply rooted culture that places a high premium on education, alongside strong parental and community involvement, learner discipline, and consistent school-level accountability.

“The lesson is that educational excellence can be cultivated where a strong learning culture is matched by effective school management and sustained community support,” Kondowe told the publication.

Kondowe advised that other regions should shift their focus from merely comparing pass rates to replicating these enabling factors.

He recommended strengthening school leadership and teacher accountability, increasing instructional time, promoting parental ownership of education, and using school-level performance data to identify and address persistent weaknesses early on.

On the ground, educators in Karonga echoed the importance of community backing. James Mwayipoya, a teacher at a government secondary school in the district, told Malawi24 that parents have played a pivotal role in this year’s success.

“Many parents support their children’s education by providing them with school materials and engaging with the community and teachers on their children’s performance,” Mwayipoya observed.

However, despite the high distinction rate, Mwayipoya noted that challenges still lurk for learners in the region.

He highlighted that while students are hardworking and committed, their academic habits are often affected by limited learning materials, household responsibilities, long distances to school, and limited opportunities for supervised study.

Mwayipoya emphasized that addressing these infrastructural and social challenges could help the district improve even further in future examinations.

Meanwhile, a gender gap remains evident in the national results. Overall, male candidates performed better than female candidates, with males recording a 62.80% pass rate compared to 53.77% for females.

At the other end of the spectrum, Machinga and Thyolo have been officially ranked as the two lowest-performing districts in Malawi following the release of the 2026 MSCE examination results.

Below is the full list of the Top 10 Education Districts (by distinctions):

1. Karonga – 11.41%
2. Dedza – 9.89%
3. Rumphi – 8.54%
4. Zomba Urban – 8.21%
5. Mzimba South – 7.63%
6. Nkhatabay – 6.87%
7. Mzuzu City – 6.86%
8. Mulanje – 6.77%
9. Lilongwe West – 6.76%
10. Chiradzulu – 6.67%