Abstract

The Malawi National Examinations Board developed an electronic registration policy, which comprised electronic payment and electronic results, and rolled it out across the country in 2023. Introduction of this Internet and Communication Technology intervention into the public examinations sector, whose actors are wide and diverse, called for thoroughness in policy formulation so that its implementation should not keep out the very stakeholders that the policy targeted to benefit. The study, therefore, aimed to examine how MANEB formulated and configured the e-Registration to replace the traditional manual registration method for national examinations; and to examine whether MANEB indeed followed best practices for policy formulation since this directly influences policy success or failure during implementation. The study used a qualitative methodology and case study design, and generated data through a triangulation of methods, which included document analyses, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The generated data were analysed thematically using Framework Analysis. Findings of this study reveal that there were enough contextual challenges to influence policy change and e-Registration seemed to be best policy option. Further, the findings show that being an ICT intervention, the policy was formulated to be easy to use even for the user with very basic technological skills, in addition to being useful in addressing challenges the policy was meant to address. Results of this study indicate that stakeholder engagement was key to a successful formulation and implementation of an educational policy since such stakeholders own the policy; as such, they would be willing to implement when involved.

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School	: School of Education
Issued Date	: 2025

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