Govt to construct three vocational colleges in Machinga
Malawi Government has revealed plans to construct three vocational training colleges in Machinga before December 2014 to address the problem of lack of skills for entrepreneurial and industrial development among the youth.
District Commissioner (DC) for Machinga, Reinghard Chavula, unveiled the plans at Malundani Headquarters Ground last Thursday during the commemoration of this year’s district World Population Day open day activities.
The United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) sponsored the activities to raise awareness on the need for couples to slow down on childbirths, warning the country faces serious social and economic challenges if it maintains the current birth rate of six children per woman.
Chavula emphasised that overpopulation has negatively impacted on government resources, saying it is becoming difficult to meet the social and development expectations of all Malawians because the country does not have enough resources.
She said overpopulation is the main driver of poverty; hence, the need for couples of the childbearing ages to exercise restraint and ensure that families are matching the number of children with the available resources to avoid exerting unnecessary pressure on government and its partners.
She observed that the escalation in cases of disputes over coupons for subsidised farm inputs is a clear testimony that government resources are inadequate to meet the needs of every citizen.
At this point, Chavula said government would be constructing three vocational training centres in the district to address the economic challenges young people are facing due to lack of requisite skills for entrepreneurial and industrial development.
“I would like to encourage adolescent couples to enroll in these colleges so that you gain skills in various industries. This is the only way to gain independence from parents,” she said.
Usaid maternal, newborn and child health specialist, Evelyn Zimba, challenged parents to consider investing in their children by, among others, sending them to school if the country is to register a reduction in adolescent pregnancies.
