Ministry of Education committed to prioritizing education

Lilongwe, February 1: Ministry of Education has committed to prioritise education in the country as an enabler of national development.

Speaking at Mbidzi Secondary School during commemoration of International Day of Education held under the theme ‘To invest in the people, priorities Education,’ former Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje, pointed the need for Malawians to join hands in improving education in the country.

“While government is committed to mobilise resources to promote education, we need to work together towards improving the education sector because our country cannot move forward without it,” she said.

She said the ministry is looking into restructuring teaching methods for junior classes to lay the right foundation at early stages of development of children by providing support and training for junior class teachers.

She also stated that the ministry is reviewing the schools’ curriculum to accommodate special needs students for inclusive education.

NyaLonje further assured Malawians that government has put in place a digital payment system for teachers to have easy access to salaries on time and enable them to work effectively.

Commenting on the same, Executive Dean for School of Education at University of Malawi, Dr. Peter Namphande,urged government and stakeholders to move beyond examinations when reviewing the curriculum to ensure that it becomes relevant to Malawians.

“Our curriculum appears to be academic where we have focused more on students passing exams and when they graduate, they sit at home waiting to be employed,
While our economy is not generating jobs, government and stakeholders should consider incorporating entrepreneurial skills so that graduates become independent without waiting for employment,” said Namphande.