Govt interns want allowance increased
Interns under the Malawi Government Graduate Internship Programme have asked the government to increase their allowance from K80 000 to K250 000 per month.
In a letter dated April 19 2024 addressed to the Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary, the interns said they have made the request due to the country’s rising high cost of living following the 44 percent devaluation of the kwacha last year.
“We believe that an upward adjustment is necessary to ensure that we can continue to effectively contribute to the government objectives without undue financial strain. We humbly request a review of the stipend for graduate interns serving in government from K80 000 to the proposed amount of K250 000,” reads in part the letter.
A representative of the interns, Yankho Msekandiana, told The Nation yesterday that the interns are yet to receive their allowances since being recruited in March 2024, but said the contracts which they signed indicate that each intern will be receiving K80 000 per month.
He said the stipend, first set at K80 000 in 2018, is not only insufficient to meet their basic needs, but it is also below the K90 000 general minimum wage gazetted by the Ministry in January.
Ministry of Labour spokesperson Nellie Kapatuka said she would provide a response later.
The Graduate Internship Programme was introduced in 2018 and recruits and deploys unemployed youths to various government ministries, departments and agencies.
