ICT syllabuses must be relevant, says Minister Botomani

Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communication Technology, Mark Botomani on Thursday challenged universities in the country to develop Information Communication syllabuses that are relevant to the country’s development.

He said Malawi Government attaches great importance to ICT development as a catalyst for national economic development, more so where such initiatives target the youth.

Botomani was speaking during the 2019 Huawei Malawi Seeds for Future farewell ceremony in Lilongwe for 10 students who are going to China for training in ICT.

He said the ICT sector is evolutionary and changes at a fast rate, therefore, whenever universities are developing courses they have to have in mind that important aspect.

“Malawi Government has a National ICT Policy that guides the direction of ICT development. The policy supports the national goal of wealth creation and poverty reduction through economic development,” he said.

He, therefore, called upon all universities whether public or private to develop the syllabuses along the lines of the ICT Policy and other advanced universities in the world.

Seeds-for-the-Future is Huawei’s global corporate social responsibility flagship programme established in 2015, and it seeks to develop local ICT talent, enhance knowledge transfers, and improve people’s understanding and interest in the ICT industry.

“Seed-for-the-Future is a life-changing encounter which will introduce the students to the world class ICT infrastructure and hands-on experience and skills,” he said.

He commended Huawei for the Seed Initiative because it will assist in developing the ICT sector in the country, hence the appeal to stakeholders to emulate Huawei’s good gesture.

Managing Director of Huawei Technologies, Wan Wei said this was the fourth cohort of the beneficiaries of the Seed for the Future flagship programme since it started in 2015.

He said students from different ICT training institutions across the country will travel to Beijing City in China and will later proceed to Shenzhen, the Headquarters of Huawei Technologies Limited.

“Huawei is committed to collaborating with Malawi Government, local universities, enterprises to continuously help Malawi nurture ICT talent and promote rapid development of information industry,” he said.

The 10 students will be in China for two weeks to be trained in the latest ICT innovations.

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