Malawi's Public Schools Face Challenges-Parliamentary Report
The report, presented in parliament on Monday, found that there is a shortage of teachers, infrastructure, and learning materials in many schools.
LILONGWE, Malawi-A report by the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science, and Technology has highlighted some of the challenges that public primary and secondary schools face in Malawi, writes Esther Banda.
The report, presented in parliament on Monday, found that there is a shortage of teachers, infrastructure, and learning materials in many schools.
It was also noted that the promotion of teachers is often delayed.
"Teachers lamented that there were no initiatives for their motivation at the schools as most of them had remained at the same grade for a long time," the report said.
"For instance, there were teachers who had been maintained at the same grade for 29 years without promotion."
Speaking in parliament, opposition legislator Esther Jolobala said that there is no need to wait for general elections in order for teachers to be promoted.
"The tradition must end because well-deserving teachers are never promoted," she said.
"The government needs to promote teachers as a stand-alone activity."
Jolobala also said that the promotion of teachers needs to be done properly.
"If we continue with the culture of promoting teachers just before elections, we end up promoting teachers for the sake of promoting," she said.
"By doing that, we end up promoting teachers who are not worth being promoted."
Another opposition legislator, Noel Lipipa, said that Malawi needs to appreciate teachers.
"We don't only need these teachers during elections," he said.
"If they are deserving of this promotion, let's promote them as they deserve."
In response to the legislators' concerns, Deputy Minister of Education Nancy Chaola Mdooko said that the ministry will come up with a response and a ministerial statement within 14 days.
The report by the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science, and Technology is a timely reminder of the challenges that public primary and secondary schools face in Malawi.