Malawi Kicks Off Overhaul of Outdated Education Curricula
The conference convened curriculum developers, teachers, administrators, researchers and business representatives.
MANGOCHI, Malawi— Malawi launched a long-overdue overhaul of its outdated school and college curricula Monday, with the Secretary for Education Dr. Mangani Chilala Katundu challenging educators to realign classroom learning with modern workforce needs, emerging technologies and the country's development vision, writes Winston Mwale.
Katundu emphasized the imperative need to review curricula and equip students with 21st century skills for the fourth industrial revolution.
She said education must adapt to constantly evolving workforce competencies.
The secretary presided over the National Education Conference on Curricula and Assessment Review at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi.
Malawi last revised primary curricula in 2007, secondary in 2015, and primary teacher education in 2017, with pre-primary misaligned.
Katundu stressed incorporating crosscutting issues like gender, ICT, anti-corruption, climate change and human rights.
She urged alignment with U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa.
The secretary acknowledged the costly review process will need funding from development partners beyond the government's allocation.
She said past implementation suffered from lack of resources.
The conference convened curriculum developers, teachers, administrators, researchers and business representatives.
Private sector feedback aimed to align curricula with job market needs and boost technical/vocational training.
Katundu called on delegates to work together, mobilize resources, promote innovation and utilize local materials to ensure an effective and well-resourced curricula overhaul.