Malawi secondary schools to operate under district councils

Secondary schools in Malawi will soon be operating under the management of district councils in order to improve on efficiency and access to equitable quality education

Inspector of Schools, Ndongolera Mwangupiri said last Sunday on the sidelines of Nyungwe Education Cluster launch at Nyungwe Community Day Secondary School in Karonga District where he represented Education Division Manager (EDM).

“Indeed, secondary schools will soon go down to local authorities to ensure there is proper coordination and management of the schools.

“The programme has already started and Mzimba North is implementing it on pilot basis,” said Mwangupiri.

Commenting on the formulation of the cluster, Mwangupiri said clusters were important in ensuring access to equity and quality education to all learners through sharing of teaching and learning materials.

District Education Manager for Karonga, Scotch Kondowe, said though the idea to devolve secondary schools might look a far-fetched idea, it will have a big impact in the promotion of quality education.

“It is a good idea for secondary schools to be managed by councils because the latter are much closer to the schools than the central government,” he said.

Kondowe said the idea will deal with delays in decision making as well as decongest problems that pile at the ministry such as lack of desks in secondary schools.

He, however, said the ministry will remain relevant to secondary schools in the provision of policy guidance and training, among other things.

Nyungwe Education Cluster leader, Shakes Kayira, said formulation of the cluster, which consists of five secondary schools of Ngala, Nyungwe, Mlare, Unique Private and Tilora, will improve students’ performance through arrangements, seating for the same mock examinations.