Opposition leader Nankhumwa raps Tonse govt over Form One selection
Leader of Opposition in parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa has described this year’s Form One selection in public secondary schools as flawed, saying the selection process was marred by favourism and political interference.
This was after many Malawians took up in various social media platforms and traditional media to accuse the government of favouring the central region in the selection of form one students into public secondary schools.
Nankhumwa said the 2019/20 selection of learners from Standard 8 in primary schools to Form 1 in public and national secondary schools in Malawi has raised very serious suspicion.
He said according to what he gathered, 1 860 learners were selected to national secondary schools.
“Among these, 929 learners have been selected from the southern region; the central region has provided 749; and in the northern region, a negligible figure of 182 learners has been offered secondary school places,” he said.
He says in percentage terms, the southern region has 40%, and 50% and 10% for central and northern regions, respectively.
” While the central region has the lowest pass rate, it has been given lion’s share in selection of learners to national secondary schools,” he said.
Nankhumwa said he found the current situation grossly flawed, and only aimed at serving the interests of learners from other regions at the expense of the northern region learners.
“I question the procedure that has been used where learners from the northern region have been denied access to national secondary schools, even for those who are based within their ecosystem,” he said.
He said it is clear that politicians may have interfered with the selection process.
“It is clear that there has been favouritism in the selection of learners into Form 1 to the detriment of deserving northern region learners’ future.
“This is uncalled for and retrogressive in the new democratic Malawi where all citizens must enjoy equal rights, including the right to education” he said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential aspirant said he is in disbelief at this turn of events saying because it is just not right and inconceivable to have such an education system in this democratic dispensation.
He said the Government must never compromise on education if it is serious about the country’s meaningful social and economic development.
Nankhumwa said there had been long-standing concerns over how difficult it was for learners, especially from the northern region, to get a place in public secondary schools and universities owing to the ‘Quota System’.
“Opponents of the Quota System vehemently argued that the core principle of educational equity requires that learners should not have their educational opportunities determined by their district, region or tribe.
“It is for that reason that in 2019, the DPP Government, under His Excellency former President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, abolished the Quota System,” he said.
Nankhumwa said the DPP Government fully engaged the people of the northern region, through the influential Livingstonia Synod of CCAP, to review the Form 1 selection policy with a view to look at processes from examination to selection.
Following consultations that took place from 28th September, 2019 to 18th October, 2019, the two parties agreed that:
- National Secondary School places shall be allocated on the basis of merit across the country regardless of proximity and economic cost. This meant that use of Quota Policy in selecting learners to secondary schools fell away;
- Equitable access policy shall be applied to cater for women and vulnerable for Form 1 places as it was a common practice the world over where school places are limited; and
- Selection to district boarding school, district day and community day secondary schools shall remain the benefit of learners within the same district.
Nankhumwa accused the Tonse alliance led government of renegating on the issue of quota system of education.
“It is, therefore, heart-breaking that despite political campaign rhetoric about abolishing the Quota System, the Tonse Government has reversed the selection policy decision that the DPP Government and the Livingstonia Synod made.
“Indeed, President Lazarus Chakwera informed Malawians on the campaign trail in the run-up to the 23rd June, 2020 court-sanctioned fresh presidential election that he would not only end the Quota System but “bury it” too,” he said.
He therefore demanded that the President and his Tonse Alliance administration must implement what they promised Malawians on the Quota System.
He said while it may practically be difficult and costly to nullify the entire selection process, there are some isolated instances, which require urgent review and correction.
He said for example, the case of northern region learners being denied national secondary school space even in secondary schools within their region should be looked into and corrected as a matter of urgency.
He said the Tonse Alliance Government to desist from politicizing education in this country.
“Memories are still fresh in the minds of Malawians, mainly from the northern region, how the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) regime used education to persecute and disadvantage some sections of the society.
“It is widely documented that in the late 1980s, the MCP regime ordered all teachers of northern origin to return to their home region. This was one of the most disturbing and shocking declarations by a regime whose leader preached about One Malawi and One Nation,” he said.
He said as a nation, we must jealously guard against the return of such autocratic tendencies.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Nankhumwa iwe palibe chanzeru chili chose chomwe wunganenepo apa.
Wosawasiyila bwanji a Presidential candidate a dpp mu 2025 muno kuti ayakhulepo than iwe.
Northern being used here
Where is Mtambo now,
Answer he was swallowed by crocodile.
Wake up North.
Nankhumwa please establish facts first before laying claims which may turn out to be false. Do not become another Trump
Agalu inu ndi amene munawonanga dzikoli ndi kuba kwanuko. Ndalama za misonkho kumatenga and osamanga ma secondary school. By the time MCP were booted it had built a secondary school in each district. Additional schools included Mayani (where Nankhumwa got his MSCE with 39 points), Mulunguzi secondary school, Phalombe secondary school, Zingwangwa, Katoto, Chipasula, Namitete, Mboba, Chayamba and Mchinji. With increasing population you should have done much better than MCP. Today Nankhumwa is talking as if Malawians are dull. You introduced quota system even at primary level. Do you think education is for mbuli? Education is result oriented. Those with high grades proceed.
The issue is that these pupils are not selected on merit but on relations. Senior officials in govt choose who should go to National Secondary Schools. They send their kids there regardless of grades. The best we can do is to send our kids to catholic secondary schools and you will get the results for your kids. Even if you look at the MSCE performance of these national secondary schools, its not impressive zinali kale pamene ankasankha ana based on merit but pano aaa bola ma catholic schools, we know mwana akaphulako kanthu.
Nankhumwa is just a stupid man.Were you not there when your DPP government was doing this?At least now pupils are selected through merit.DPP did not abolish quota system but rather it was a campaigning tool to fool the Malawians especially people from the Central and Northern regions to vote for them.You must be the last person to talk and complain about this you for Nankhumwa.
“quata system is bad abolish it! , We want merit for selecting students!!!” That was a demand made before Chakwera voted into power. Because of pressure knowing that 50+1 is hassle, DPP at eleven hour announced that it will no longer use quata system once voted again into power hopping in getting votes from the north because that was a slogan for Tonse alliance. So either DDP or Tonse alliance could still apply quata system as it is now ” Because that What People from the north wants”.
The question is, since quata system was bad and now merit is worse then what methodology will be used by the government to select students inorder to appease the northerners???
I guess there is another way of selection, that is Tumbuka style, my guy you will never satisfy these creatures from the north, they are condemned permanently, nothing can reverse it
It is people like ginimbi who are happy when others facing problems to access secondary education. Very worrying.
Sadly merit was not used in this case.
Kondwani Nankhumwa should be the last person to say that. In the first place, can Nankhumwa tell us the number of secondary schools dpp built since they came to power in 2004? Kamuzu built schools in almost every district and the secondary schools were of high standards. Again, what did dpp do to correct the situation? If 150,000 have failed to make it to secondary schools, it means almost 1,500,000 failed PSLE in 10 years dpp were in power. Add that with those that failed under UDF. This means Malawi has a good number of thugs and prostitutes. DPP promoted tribalism and regionalism. We never heard of selection based on regions before. Malawi is a divided country because of dpp. So Mr. Nankhumwa shut up.
Mbuzi yamunthu, Kamuzu anamanga Sukulu imodzi ngati sukudziwa (Kamuzu Academy) Zinazi tinamanga tokha ndi ndalama zathu zamisonkho. Chamwaka umachidizwa iwe? (Personal Tax).
Chitsiru cadet. What did dpp do with our taxes? Kamuzu at least put our taxes to good use.
Kodi unali ku Malawi or ukungomva chitsiru iwe.Ma Secondary School ukuwamvawa ana anamangidwa ndi Kamuzu.The last secondary schools amene anamanga Kamuzu asanasiye ndi awa Lisumbwi Sec Sch(Monkey-Bay),Chipoka Sec Sch etc mbuli iwe wamva
Chakwera only thinks about his tribe. How could he allow this?
There is no quota system here, best is to aborish so-called national secondary school, let’s have modern secondary school with all necessary equipment befetting a good modern school.
I 100% agree with your reasoning. Let all secondary school be equipped with necessary equipment and move on
If Truth be told Tonse has lost the northern vote. No doubt about it. I pity UTM. If UTM remains silent on this it is finished .
kodi BlackBerry meaning ” kuda” kkkkk
the same north wanted pupils to be selected on merit and this is it. The one who introduced quota system at standard 8 level made a big mistake. School is about doing well and not politics. Those who do well must be given a place. It is unfortunate that we hear about the same schools that Kamuzu left. What did these other governments do? How many schools did they build? They simply converted MCDEs into |CDSSs with very poor facilities.
Koma mnyamata wa malaya ofiira (Red) utinyasa ndi Kamuzu wakoyo. Kamuzu anali munthu woyipa kwambiri, anandibera abakha anga ndi Mbuzi zanga,.
Unali ndi chani iwe kuti Kamuzu akubere? Ngakhale bambo ako analankhulanapo ndi Kamuzu? Ngati uli mbuli ndi chifukwa chopanda nzeru otherwise Kamuzu was an academician.
hahahahah, adatumanso a youth kudzatenga mazira a nkhanga onse mu khola la ambwiyanga motsogozedwa ndi areal chairman Mvundula akuti okaphikira azimayi ovina ku stadium pa 6 July, hahahahahah!
KENT MPHEPO MFITI YAKONDWERA
To all Malawians especially fellow Malawians from the north I would like to tell you that do not be misled by people who are hell bent on regionalism……..the fact of the matter is that, as LMC said in parliament that the quota system of selecting students into public institutions is dead and buried that is exactly what has happened this year in this selection.
The problem is that for far too long we have been misled into the notion that that people from the north are more intelligent than people from the other regions in Malawi which is totally bullshit.
The fact that percentage wise more students from the north have pass the PSLC exams doesn’t mean that it will translate into more students from that region being selected into national secondary schools……..because the selection was based on quality and not quantity.
For those who do not understand the history of our country I would like to remind you that before.Malawi got its independence from the British, the northern region had an upper hand on our education system because there were more missionaries in the north of the country thanks to the cool weather in that region.
With more missionaries in the north at the time it also meant that there were more schools in the north than the other regions per capita. this is why for many years even after independence, proportionally there were more educated people in the north, but that situation was changed a long time ago and northerners should come to terms with this reality. In fact the north is now lugging behind in terms of quality of education and this is what we as a nation we need to address……..because quota system is dead and buried
Umbuli sunasiyebe?Pitani ku sukulu zoyendera mukasukusule mmutumo chonde.
The story is not adding up. There is a student in the central region who got 5 subjects A and 1 subject B. He has been selected to a local not even a district sec. School.
Nkhaniyi kaya ndamvapo kanthu kaya. Title ndi ma figures plus percentages chirichonse chikulowera kwake. Mukamva kuti myolankhaniyu akuti chani mundiuzako mabwana
Surely Nankhumwa is busy daydreaming. Konseko kufuna kuti mbuzi zakumpoto zikukondeni a Nankhumwa? Do you know the amount of hate and nepotism against southerners which is practiced by these dark-skinned northerners? MANEB has selected these pupils on merit that’s why the dull tumbukas have not made it big time. All along, northerners were benefiting from the shield of quota system or they were flourishing on kubera mayeso. Typical of the Mzuzu Corner. Merit selection is here to shame atumbukas even more and the fair competition begins now!!! Aisovenge banganya ba Hinya!
DPP Cadet at his best
I thought u have 5 senses but it looks u lack sense of thinking and hearing . Lost spem
You just used this space to promote hate speech. You should have kept quiet.
If our hero hon Timothy mtambo stays silent on this matter then maybe its true he original Burundian
Northerners must stop believing quota system ended, look here only 10% of places in national schools. Nyondos, munthali, khumbo kachali, first gentlemam are all quite chewing cuds from tonse alliance, while their region suffers. Shame on these opportunists who care about their stomach only.
Seems both south and central regions have majored in the beating of northerners. Maybe Eastern region is better
Northerner never learn, I told them to unite and form one strong party which can speak with one voice but they refuse ld and called me names. But I tell them again, unless they unite they shall always be used and abused by the two bigger regions.
I don’t understand why the North fails to understand the simple reason central region always votes mcp, and Southern Region votes udf or dpp. If you don’t unite, next year you will get less than 182.
koma abale, tiyeni tizilankhula zomwe tikuzidziwa bwino. palibe nkhani apa. zoputa dala. Explicit quota was correct than this one. you have no ground to arhue. Shame.
This persecution started in 1964. I was at first selected to go to Dedza secondary school, but there was a second selection in which I was sent to Mzuzu, along with others from the north that had been selected to go to Zomba and Blantyre. We also had 3 or 4 students that weren’t from the north, but their parents were influential in securing them places at a reputable school.
MCP, please don’t revert to the evil ways of your arrogant and evil Kamuzu, if you don’t want Chakwera to be a one-term president.
Shallow, until the Ministry clarifies. I too went to Mzuzu Gov deservedly in 1962 and I loved it.
What I have learned from some exam markers, even from the north, is that the schools up there performed poorly, generally.
By the way, it is the Tonse Alliance government, not necessarily MCP.
Idiot you voted for them! Don’t cry now
It is clear that there is an organized rubble at the ministry of education and Maneb in particular. I don’t think Chakwera and Chilima are responsible for this selection to frustrate the northern region.
There is a conspiracy at Maneb possibly involving some DPP leaders including Nankhumwa himself to try to sow discontent in the minds of parents in the northern region so that parallels are drawn between the DPP and Tonse alliance. The political rhetoric in the end will be that we told you that “Tonse government or MCP won’t end quota system but DPP ended it ” , someone should carefully understand Nankhumwa’s comments regarding quota system. I have a feeling that the DPP system is still at work in many government institutions including Maneb itself and Tonse leaders must be very careful.
DPP wants to prove a point to the electorate that it cares for the northern region because the party can only come back to power by taking the “King maker” region. Nankhumwa knows something and I strongly believe he is part of the sabotage to frustrate the northern region.
There must be a reason why Enock Chihana wants to have a meeting with president Chakwera regarding the same issue, and I don’t think his intention is to blame Dr Chakwera for the poor selection criteria, but I am pretty sure he wants to warn him about the rubble that is deliberately frustrating the northern region so a rebellion can be incited, and it is the same rubble that had examination leakage. The aim is to prove to the people that Tonse government is a failure, practices regionalism, doesn’t care for other regions but only the central region, and that the alternative is better come 2025.
Tonse leaders must act fast to clear the rubble in many government institutions otherwise they will not achieve their agenda because the devil has tentacles everywhere.
No, no, no. Do not say president and his vice are not to blame when things go wrong and yet all praises are heaped on them when they have done something good. They are entirely to blame for failing to abolish the quota system they called an evil system during campaign.
They are responsible. It’s their government as such they are responsible for any trash happening after all they cleared the rubble in the system. Stop defending mediocrity. Let them fulfill their promises and not blame anybody for their failures.
Clearly Nankhumwa never went to school and is speaking emotionally. It is not about averages but real figures. The centre could have very high scoring students and also extremely poor scoring ones. so obviously more will be selected. Go get an education. the only way to sort it out is to look at the individual grades not your averages
Missing the point, not surprised. Part of rhetoric
Chakwera and his regionalism is a disaster.
Stupit Nankhumwa, d o u have facts that selection favoured central region and not on merit. Do u have facts about the grades that those selected to National school scored. Am from Zomba rural and some students from my areas made it to national secondary school but i have nothing to believe that they were not favoured. Stop your nonsense u think people of Malawi can go back to DPP? U lie! People have complained, let Ministry of education and Maneb respond with facts for people to know the trueth. U are idiot this is not campaign period, u are repeating what you were saying dyring campain about MCP you it will help people change their mind sbout DPP? Shupit
Kkkk really Nankhumwa need to be careful because people will be laughing at him it it be found that what he is saying about favouring the centre is but a lie. Why aren’t people bringing the names of those students who have done it excellently from the north but never got selected to national secondary school. Why can’t they brought those names and their grades for Malawians to appreciate? No Mr Nankhumwa. You are quoting the figure of students selected from the whole education district of Lilongwe west which is very much smaller than the number that has been selected from a Chidzenje school in phalombe to national secondary schools. Isn’t it hypocritical of you Mr Nankhumwa for not quoting the figures from this school. Are you trying to say Malawians should go against the government just because deserving students have been selected from Chidzenje school. Last year we were with the people of the north in their cry on the last selection because they brought evidence to prove their case against the DPPs politically, nepotisticaly motivated selection. I think Nankhumwa should have brought evidence to support his claim should have called upon the government to ask organisations to nominate and create a well represented task force comprising people drawn from all regions to find the truth if really the selection was based on merit
only if the task force is composed of EUROPEANS it can be transparent otherwise aaaaaa!
Inunso tangozisiyani za school mapeto ake akukwenyani za ma certification amene muli nawo a fake
Vuto la a Malawi mumatsutsa angakhale munthu akunena zoona,koma popeza masana nayo koma zikalakwika sutsani angakhale ndi amene muma wawakonda kuti asinthe nachita
bwino. Osambera zinthu zikulakwika. Malawi amuyenera kukomera tonse.
Tonse alliance are just a bunch of liars, that would say anything to get power. They have lied and lied to Malawians. So far they have lived up to zero of their promises. Chakwera is just like any other lying, conman city pastor. His words mean nothin l! The North remembers!!
Atumbuka voted for Chakwera and now they are crying. Is this not what you voted for. Mulira simunati you have 4 years to go.
Infact they are pathological liars
These are professional liars.