National Task Force on Early Childhood Development (ECD) Advocacy and Financing chairperson the Reverend Nase Chunga has advised Mulanje District Council to concentrate their efforts in improving ECD programmes.
In his remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with the district’s traditional leaders, councillors and heads of sectors, he asked the council to make deliberate efforts to finance ECD programmes.
Said Chunga: “The social welfare, finance, agriculture, health, education and security sectors should do their roles to give a conducive learning environment in community-based childcare centres [CBCCs] and have trained and paid caregivers.
“With the Constituency Development Fund [CDF], build at least one model CBCC in every area in each financial year.”
He said ECD sector faces severe financing and delivery crisis that the council should strive to address.
“This is the foundation of learning for our children yet it receives unstable allocation annually. We have to do better in funding it because the failure has led to poor outcomes and repetition,” said Chunga.
The council’s deputy chairperson Humphreys Mchenga said they will prioritise ECD programmes in the district’s development plans.
“We will also find innovative ways to get funds from companies and business operators to fund ECD programmes,” he said.
Senior Chief Chikumbu said traditional leaders will popularise the importance of ECD among their subjects to sustain the interventions.
Mulanje has 1 898 caregivers out of which 322 underwent formal training.
Under the Reformed CDF, each of the 229 constituencies will receive K5 billion annually.
