Dowa DEN supports CSEC Inclusive Digital Transformation Advocacy Project

by in National

By Vincent Gunde

The District Education Network (DEN) in Dowa says the Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) Malawi Inclusive Digital Transformation Advocacy Project to be implemented in the district will help to reach out to all the communities to understand learning using digital technology to be inclusive.

The DEN which is a sub committee of the Dowa Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Network, has called for the need by parents and guardians to understand the digital technology so that they follow what children are learning in schools.

CSEC will implement a one -year Malawi Inclusive Digital Transformation Advocacy Project in the two districts of Mulanje and Dowa with an objective of seeking to strengthen civil society advocacy for inclusive digital skills transformation in Malawi’s education sector.

The District Education Network (DEN) in Dowa says the Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) Malawi Inclusive Digital Transformation Advocacy Project to be implemented in the district will help to reach out to all the communities to understand learning using digital technology to be inclusive.
DaDEN members pose for a group photo


Speaking at a DEN meeting held at Mponela in the district, the committee’s Chairperson Gift Mwale, said members of the DEN will advocate and mobilize the communities in the district to take part in inclusive digital transformation for them to understand and be able to encourage their children to learn the skills being offered.

Mwale said the DEN in the district will try to mobilize and engage both local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working in the education sector to make sure that they participate fully in the development of digital technologies in the communities they are working with.

“If we can mobilize one another to come together, strategize and support this initiative as one, we will reach out to all communities we are working with in the district compliment government efforts,” he said.

Introducing the project to the DEN committee, CSECs Project Officer for Dowa Duncan Chirwa, said the project will target 10 schools per district in Mulanje and Dowa of which 5 are under BeFIT and 5 non-BeFIT schools.

Chirwa said the project will work hand in hand with the Directorate of Youth and Education Services to compliment on transportation as the district shall provide lorry and the project shall provide fuel saying on yearly basis, they will be supplying supplementary readers books worth K90 million in primary and Community Day Secondary Schools for 5 years.

He said children need to be exposed to so many supplementary readers books saying the project will be implemented in partnership with Malawi Library Services with support from Book Aid International reaching out to many learners in the two districts of Mulanje and Dowa.

“The project will support the DENs to conduct actual data collection in partnership with school governance structures on citizen perception to determine strategies to deal with citizen resistance to digital education,” said Chirwa.

The project will be implemented in Mulanje and Dowa districts with funds amounting to K183 million from the European Union (EU) to GIZ through the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) with Dowa having K80 million for the one -year period.