Ministry backtracks on interviews for fresh graduates

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) has abolished the policy that required education graduates to sit for interviews before being incorporated into the teaching profession.

The ministry has since brought back the old recruitment policy whereby education graduates are recruited automatically once they finish their studies.

According to MoEST spokesperson Rebecca Phwitiko, the ministry has deployed over 800 newly-qualified teachers to the six education divisions in the country.

Phwitiko said the teachers obtained their degrees and diplomas from Chancellor College, Polytechnic, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), Mzuzu University (Mzuni), Domasi College of Education, African Bible College, Livingstonia University and Malawi Adventist University.

“This deployment of qualified teachers will help to address the shortage of qualified teachers and improve learning outcomes in secondary school,” said Phwitiko.

She said the ministry is also finalising recruitment of some 10 000 primary school teachers to all 34 education districts.

Several stakeholders, including Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) and Catholic University of Malawi, expressed concern that government was slow in recruiting fresh graduates from colleges, a thing that resulted in them being absorbed into private schools.

In an interview, TUM president Chauluka Muwake welcomed the new development and said the union hopes this will not take another sudden U-turn to the interviewing policy.

“The union made a number of contacts with the ministry to abolish the interviewing criteria, but nothing came out until our last meeting when we were promised the process will be abolished,” said Muwake.