By Chisomo Phiri
The Ministry of Education says it has noted with regret that some schools are asking learners to go back to school for summer lessons barely days after schools closed on July, 21 2023.
In a statement made available to 247 Malawi, the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mphatso Nkuonera says the malpractice is against the ministry of education’s policy and is very unacceptable for the a number of reasons which include:
1.Giving learners no room to rest after weeks of being in class as the learners need resting to refresh themselves in order to start with new energy the following term.
2.Disadvantaging learners from vulnerable families whose parents or guardians cannot afford to pay for the summer lessons as such this promotes disparities and inequalities amongst learners.
3.Giving room for some teachers to deliberately fail to complete the planned work within the school calendar with the aim of running summer lessons.
“The Ministry will, therefore, not condone such malpractice and schools going against the policy risk disciplinary actions by the Ministry,”says Nkuonera.
However, the Ministry has reminded parents, guardians and school owners that the 2023/2024 academic calendar will commence on 11th September 2023, and all schools must observe and operate within it.
