Government moves on Sec. Sch. teachers: Recruiting 5000 more, hundreds set for promotion
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has disclosed that his government is recruiting 5, 000 more teachers and also promote in-service teachers in an effort to improve service delivery in the education sector.
Chakwera made the remarks at Mkanga Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Salima on Monday when he handed over 66 new schools constructed under the Secondary Education Expansion for Development (SEED) Partnership between the Malawi Government and the American Government.
He said his government acknowledges that good education is more than good facilities; hence, the decision to invest heavily in expanding the teacher base by 50 percent.
“We are adding 13, 000 teachers to the staff roll. [And] apart from increasing the quantity, we also want to increase the quality of teaching, and that includes improving the conditions of service for teachers and school administrators,” he said.
Chakwera also disclosed that the government has moved the six Education Division Managers from Grade E/P4 to Grade E/P3, while the Head Teachers of the 21 big secondary schools have been upgraded to Principal Head Teacher level at Grade E/P4.
He added that his administration is recruiting 5, 000 Grade TI and TJ secondary school teachers that will be deployed to various secondary schools, including the newly built schools within this financial year.
“The point of doing all these things is that if we are going to create citizens of quality, then we need to make sure they sit under quality teaching and that they go to schools that have quality leadership, and that is something we are investing in, and I am grateful that our American partners have jumped on the opportunity to support these efforts,” said the President.
President Chakwera also commended the partnership that exists between the United States (US) Government and the Government of Malawi, which he said is helping to empower Malawian youth through education.
The partnership has produced 66 brand new secondary schools that serve communities and students across 20 districts in Malawi.
“A partnership that expands access to secondary education for tens of thousands of our youth is no ordinary partnership. A partnership that moves Malawi closer to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal Number 4, namely ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, is no ordinary partnership.
“I am therefore delighted to express my thanks to the US Government, represented here by Ms. Amy Diaz of the US Embassy and other US Officials from key US Agencies like USAID, for the relentless effort you have made to support our efforts to empower Malawi’s youth through education. Your efforts add value to the education-promoting policies we are currently implementing, such as measures to reduce the cost of secondary education by eliminating tuition fees and other costs. I must also commend the Minister of Education and her officials for the efforts they have made to begin putting these schools to good use, for I have learnt with great delight that as construction of the schools is being completed, the Ministry is busy making sure that the schools get opened, teachers get allocated, and students get enrolled,” said Chakwera.
He appealed to the communities surrounding the new schools to take ownership of the schools by taking care of the facilities.
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