Ministry of Education has appealed to stakeholders to join hands in supporting the education of people with albinism to reduce dropouts at secondary school and tertiary levels.
The ministry’s deputy director of inclusive education Lucy Magagula said this in Lilongwe on Friday when Standing Voice, an organisation that supports the rights of people with albinism, launched a new programme called Vision and Education.
She said the programme, which is providing eye examination services and glasses for free, will help to build the capacity of the teachers, parents and the community to send the children to school because every child has a right to education.
Magagula also asked the beneficiaries to take care of the resources they will receive by using them prudently.
She said: “Currently, there is good progress as we have seen a transition of learners with albinism to secondary and university levels. But we are advocating for an increase to secondary school because we have high numbers in primary at 1043 but a decrease in secondary school at 287.”
Standing Voice executive director Boniface Massah said they are pleased to collaborate with government through the ministries of Education and Health to help people with albinism.
“People with albinism face many challenges that delay them in doing so many things as sight being one of the problems that’s why we have decided to conduct eye examinations for free to empower many children with albinism to go further with their education after receiving treatment,” he said.
Massah said the programme is targeting to reach 400 people with albinism in Lilongwe and will soon be rolled out in more districts across Malawi.
Association of People with Albinism in Malawi national coordinator Menard Zachariah has since applauded the initiative for its positive impact on the people with albinism.
“Th i s programme gives us hope that more children with albinism will go further with their education. We plead with all the beneficiaries to take good care of the resources received and also use them,” he said.
Standing Voice is a non-governmental organisation working on the rights of persons with albinism in at least 20 districts in the country.
