MP decries education standards
Member of Parliament (MP) for Mzimba North Agnes Nyalonje has said the country should be worried because the quality of teaching and learning is terrible due to low investment in the sector.
Nyalonje said this when she attended a brainstorming session organised by Mtwalo Area Development Committee on how to use the K9.4 million constituency development fund (CDF).
Mzimba North Constituency produced the second-worst performance in this year’s Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PLSCE) examinations with a pass rate of 54.71 percent.
A statement presented in Parliament by Minister of Education Emmanuel Fabiano showed that Mzuzu had the best pass rate with nearly 84 in every 100 learners who sat for the examinations making the grade.
Nyalonje said this calls for further inquiry “because it doesn’t seem to portray a true picture of the situation on the ground”, but warned it could be symptomatic of a bigger tragedy rocking the education sector.
She reckoned that low investment and upside-down priorities in the education sector are spectacularly mirrored by her constituency where out of about 55 primary schools, only five have all facilities necessary for quality teaching and learning.
Mtwalo ADC chairperson Kamkhoti Mkandawire cited shortage of teachers’ houses in rural localities as one of the major challenges, saying it compels teachers to shun such schools.
The ADC, trained by the Church and Society Programme of the CCAP Livingstonia Synod, gathered as a way to follow up on the Citizen Manifestoes signed by parliamentarians.
The initiative is being bankrolled by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
The standard of education in Malawi sia ppalling and something needs to eb done and done very quickly indeed. A lot of the privately owned schools need to be inspected and standards defines. The state owne schools need to be revapmed and start giving oiur children serious education! he standards we have are simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH
It is unfortunate to say that the private sector is relatively doing well as comapred to the public schools. Of course, resources is one the contributing factor but there is lack of patriotic spirit among most Malawians to improve the education sector from the top to the bottom. It is a problem of mindset. Of course, Malawi standard for a decades have not been impressive at all. But we need to do is to change our mindset towards education and do more.