Exam cheat caught writing for friend

A 19-YEAR-OLD student has been arrested in Mazabuka District in Southern Province for engaging in examination malpractice.

Lathen Choobe was arrested after he was found impersonating another candidate during the ongoing General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations.

According to a statement issued by Southern Province deputy  commissioner of police Moono Namalongo, Choobe was caught and arrested yesterday at Nanga Secondary School.

Namalongo said Choobe, of Hillside Compound, was caught writing the Biology examination on behalf of Elvis Lwiindi of Mulonga Extension.

“The matter was reported to Mazabuka Police Station by Mr Boyd Haluyasa, headteacher of Nanga Secondary School, who handed over the suspect after the incident came to light,” he said.

Namalongo said investigations had revealed that after completing the paper, Choobe mistakenly submitted the answered script along with a national registration card (NRC) bearing Lwiindi’s name.

“Realising his error, he approached the headteacher to retrieve the NRC from the sealed examination documents. The headteacher, however, refused and instead advised him to report the matter to the police to obtain documentation for a replacement NRC,” he said.

Namalongo said Choobe later tried to obtain a new NRC at Nanga Primary School, where registration was underway, but failed to provide details that matched the card.

“He was reportedly observed making phone calls to the actual owner of the NRC in an attempt to gather the correct information, raising suspicion among registration officers who then alerted the police,” he said.

Namalongo said Choobe confessed that he had been paid K1,000 by Lwiindi to write the exam on his behalf.

“He is currently in police custody at Mazabuka Police Station, and investigations are ongoing to apprehend the alleged accomplice, Elvis Lwiindi. We have warned that examination malpractice is a serious offence and we are committed in upholding the integrity of the examination process,” he said.