DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AUTOMATED EXAM ANALYSIS SYSTEM FOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: EVIDENCE FROM CHIPANGALI DISTRICT, ZAMBIA

The digital transformation of educational administration has become essential in addressing inefficiencies associated with manual academic record management systems. This study presents the design, implementation, and empirical evaluation of an Automated Exam Analysis System developed for secondary schools in Chipangali District, Eastern Province, Zambia. Traditional manual result processing methods were found to be time-consuming, error-prone, and insecure, limiting institutional capacity for timely academic performance evaluation. The developed webbased system integrates secure authentication protocols, automated computational algorithms, statistical performance analytics, and structured reporting mechanisms to enhance efficiency and accuracy. A mixedmethod research design was adopted, incorporating system performance logs, structured questionnaires, and semistructured interviews involving 30 participants, including teachers and administrative staff. Findings revealed an 83– 100% reduction in computational errors and a 94% decrease in result processing time compared to manual systems. User satisfaction scores averaged 4.7 out of 5, with 90% of respondents expressing improved confidence in data security. The system significantly reduced administrative workload, enhanced transparency, and supported data-driven academic decisionmaking. The study contributes to digital governance literature by demonstrating how automated analytics frameworks can be adapted to rural secondary education contexts. The proposed system offers a scalable and replicable model for improving academic performance evaluation in resource-constrained environments.