‘Salima men shun adult literacy classes’

Salima District community development office has decried the tendency by men to shun adult literacy Regenerated Frerian Literacy Empowering Community Techniques (Reflect) programme.

The district’s community development officer Francis Banda was speaking during a graduation ceremony of men and women who underwent a two-year Adult Literacy and Reflect programme that Malawi Lake Basin Programme (MLBP) organised through Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) in the district.

He said most men shun adult literacy classes for fear of being mocked or seen as failures.

“Most men have interest in these classes, but they are shy. The other issue is men are working to provide for their families which leaves them with no time to enrol for these classes,” Banda said.

He, therefore, urged men to enrol for the adult literacy and Reflect classes to gain literacy skills.

Speaking on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, MLBP project coordinator Blandina Nkhoma said farming requires one to read, write and count.

“Literacy is essential to agriculture as it helps farmers to calculate how much they have invested and what they have realised after harvest,” said Nkhoma.

In his remarks, Traditional Authority Kalonga said for the country to develop, it needs educated and literate people.

Adult literacy and Reflect programme was introduced by government to give chance to those who dropped out of school to know how to read and write. Salima has so far produced 33 000 adult literacy graduates. n