Volunteers urge govt to prioritise rural education
Two Danish volunteers working in various social aspects at Kasambankholi Village in Mzimba District under Dan Church Aid (DAN) and Small Producers Development and Transporters Association say government should revamp the education system in rural areas if the country is to achieve social and economic growth.
Speaking in an interview after their four-week stay in the district, one of the volunteers Nazanin Molaaghei said many Malawians, especially in rural areas, live below poverty line because they are not educated.
“Where we come from, one cannot do anything without education. Education is the key to everything, and it is a must that you have to get education,” she said.
“The problem here is that education is serous in towns and cities only. There is need for government to scale up rural education,” said Molaaghei-.
Her colleague Ibel Konig said authorities should raise the education status-bar in the rural areas by supporting early childhood development (ECD) programmes and provision of quality primary and secondary education.
The two volunteers are renovating a community-based childcare centre at Kasambankholi which has over 60 learners.
In the 2018/2019 fiscal plan, Government has allocated K166 billion to the education sector which is the highest allocation to key Government sectors. n