A FORTY-THREE-YEAR -OLD fourth-year student at Lusaka Apex Medical University has been arrested for being in possession of a fake 1995 Grade 12 certificate. Police have also arrested Precious Tembo, 32, also for being in possession of a fake 2004 school certificate from Parklands School whose examination she never sat for. This is according to a statement issued yesterday by Examination sCouncil of Zambia (ECZ) public relations specialist Ronald Tembo. “The Examinations Council of Zambia can confirm that two people from Lusaka were, on July 16, 2019, arrested and detained for being in possession of fake Grade 12 school certificates.

“This happened when the duo tried to verify school results at the Lusaka Service Centre,” he said. Mr Tembo named the 43-yearold suspect as Eliot Muntanga of Chalala in Lusaka. “The information gathered so far by the ECZ suggests that Mr Muntanga did not know that he had fake results.

Before his arrest, it is suspected that Mr Muntanga used the same fake results to obtain a Diploma in Pharmacy from Evelyn Hone College. “He also got a general certificate in Mining First Aid from Chamber of Mines of Zambia Council and a certificate in Short Advanced Intensive Courses Unit from Technical and Vocational Teachers College of Luanshya,” Mr Tembo said.

In another development, police in Lusaka have arrested and detained Charles Musanshi aged, 19, of Luanshya town, who is suspected to have been an administrator behind the many Whatsapp Groups allegedly selling examination question papers online.

All the three suspects remain in custody and will appear in court soon. “As ECZ, we remain firm in defending and upholding the credibility of our education system by combating any attempts with potential to disrepute the Zambia school qualifications,” Mr Tembo said. O n M o n d a y, C a b i n e t approved the appointment of council members of the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) to provide governance and administrative oversight in the wake of examination malpractices countrywide. C h i e f G o v e r n m e n t spokesperson Dora Siliya said amendment to the existing ECZ Act will strengthen the enforcement of regulations related to the printing and handling of examination materials. Ms Siliya said in a statement on Thursday that the amendment will also provide stiffer penalties for examination malpractices. “ C a b i n e t i s c o n c e r n e d with incidences regarding examinations malpractices and is of the view that with the examinations council and an amended law, examination malpractices should come to an end in