Two schools investigated over suspected exam malpractice

THE Examination Council of Lesotho (ECoL) is investigating two high schools, Morate High School and Lipohong High School, over suspected examination malpractice during the 2025 Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education (LGCSE) examinations.
As a result, ECoL has withheld the two schools’ results, which were excluded when the national LGCSE results were released on Friday morning.Speaking to Mohale FM, ECoL Director of Examinations, Administration and Logistics, Mr Ntaeboso Phenduka, confirmed that investigations are underway to determine the legitimacy of the examination processes at the two schools.
He explained that ECoL routinely conducts investigations where there are suspicions of irregularities that may have compromised the integrity of examinations.
He indicated that the investigations are expected to be concluded within a week, after which learners from the affected schools will be informed of the outcome.
Mr Phenduka added that the results for Morate and Lipohong will only be released once the investigations are finalised and all required procedures have been followed.
The alleged misconduct mirrors a similar case involving Tiny Tots International School, which is also under investigation by Cambridge International Education (CIE) following allegations of malpractice during the 2025 International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations.
Mr Phenduka said investigations into the Tiny Tots matter have been completed and the report has since been submitted to Cambridge for final determination.
Meanwhile, the newly released 2025 national examination results have revealed a worrying decline in learner performance in key subjects, particularly Mathematics and English. Despite the overall decline, Sesotho remains the best-performing subject, recording the highest pass rate among candidates.
Among schools, Leribe English Medium topped the national results with 29 percent of candidates achieving grades A*–C, followed by St Stephens at 25.6 percent and Lesotho High School at 23.2 percent.