TUM, Council tussle over registration
Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) has urged the newly-formed Teachers Council of Malawi (TCM) to stop threatening teachers with disbarment if they do not pay registration fee by June 30 2024.
But TCM has maintained that the Ministry of Education will not allow anyone to teach without being registered by the council or having a valid practicing license from July 1 2024.
Practising early childhood development (ECD) caregivers are expected to pay K15 000 as registration and pay the same as licence fee annually while teachers in primary school are required to pay K20 000 and K30 000 for those in secondary school.
In a letter to TCM dated March 21, TUM secretary general Charles Kumchenga expressed concern over lack of sensitisation on the role of TCM, ‘excessive’ registration and licence fee, but also want membership period extended from three to five years.
He said: “We are requesting your office to extend this deadline to end December 2024, following the massive concerns raised by the majority of our members [teachers] from all the education districts in Malawi.”
In an interview yesterday, Kumchenga suggested that the government should pay for the teachers or the TCM should first consult the teachers on the fees rather than imposing on them.
Independent Schools Association of Malawi president Wycliffe Chimwendo Banda, who is also a TCM board member, said many of their teachers are registering, but they still want extension of the period.
He also said the TCM will meet soon and will be waiting for positive feedback, just like TUM.
Coincidentally, Ministry of Education director of quality Dr Golden Msilimba on Tuesday led a team of TCM members when they met head teachers from the Northern Region in Mzuzu where he emphasised that the June 30 deadline stands.
Reads his presentation: “The Ministry of Education will not allow anyone to practice teaching in Malawi without being registered by the council or having a valid practising licence from 1st July, 2024.”
Based on the 2023 Education Management Information System, the country has a combined 85 402 primary school teachers of whom 77 075 are in public and 8 327 are in private schools.
Under Section 62, the Education Act provides that the council shall establish and maintain a register of teachers and a roll of licensed teachers and take part in all matters affecting the education and training of teachers.
