By Sarah Gwetsani
Teachers have accused the Ministry of Education of lying before donors that each and every school across the country will be stocked with enough textbooks for Standard 5 to 8 to make teaching and learning enjoyable in schools.
The Ministry of Education made a commitment during the commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Education whose theme was “Learning for lasting Peace” held at Mkwichi Secondary School in Lilongwe on 30th January, 2024.
The Day was a big day in the history of education which saw the guest of honor Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, heads and their deputies from various schools dressed in their school uniforms and this too, was the same with Primary Education Advisors (PEAs).
The news that each primary school will be equipped with new textbooks to address the challenge of instructional materials affecting the quality of education in schools across the country was greeted with loud cheers that change has now come in the Ministry of Education.
During the meeting, Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa-Wirima assured all teachers in Malawi that government is committed to improve the quality of education in the country having been aware of shortage of textbooks in various schools across the country.
Kambauwa-Wirma assured teachers that the textbooks must be shared to each and every learner and not to be kept in lockers for safety saying the text books have been procured special for the learners for them to be reading and practicing what teachers have given them as assignments.
But teachers have learnt with a big shock and dismay that the much -touted textbooks are far from the commitment made observing that schools have received less than 40 books which are not enough for double shift classes.
One of the teachers Mrs. Alefa Mtengenji has asked the Ministry of Education to investigate the whereabouts of the textbooks after making commitment that each and every learner will receive a textbook.
Mtengenji gave an example of big schools like Kabwabwa, Chilinde, Lilongwe Boys and Girls, Biwi , Chinsapo and others, receiving only 40 textbooks describing this as very shame to the Minister of Education who preached about the textbooks without knowing the truth about it.
She said teachers who attended the meeting convened by the Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa-Wirima at Mkwichi secondary school hall were asked self-funded themselves from their respective schools and walked out of the meeting with zero allowance including no bottled water.
“Our school gave us K4,000 each to travel to the venue of the meeting, all schools were asked to send two, heads and their deputies or their representatives,” said Mtengenji
