LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) has urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to help lobby the government of Malawi—through the Ministry of Finance—to consider prioritizing and financing “flagship projects” in the education sector.
CSEC Program Manager, Kisa Kumwenda, observed that the government has been “neglecting” financing the flagship projects.
The flagship projects, according to Kumwenda, include construction of a Special Needs Education Institute, building of Special Needs Learning Centers in every education zone, construction of decent teachers houses and construction of Inkosi M’mbelwa University.
Kumwenda spoke in Mponela when CSEC presented an analysis of the 2022/2023 education budget to MPs belonging to Parliamentary Committees on Education, budget and finance and social welfare.
Officials from Ministries of Finance, Education, Gender and other government departments and agencies also attended the meeting, which aimed at empowering the parliamentarians with relevant information to be able to lobby for increased resources to the education sector.
CSEC organized the meeting in collaboration with ActionAid Malawi, Save the Children, Early Childhood Development Coalition and several other partners.
Kumwenda said the execution of the flagship projects is long over due, adding it is sad the projects are missing in the 2022/2023 budget despite being included in the Malawi Implementation Plan-1.
“MPs must help push for implementation of these projects. They must also help ensure that there are enough learning and teaching materials in schools and improved conditions for learners with disabilities. Government should remove the surtax it has imposed on ballpoints. We must ensure that there is no under disbursement form the Ministry of Finance towards projects in education. There was only 46 percent disbursement in the last financial year. This is worrisome.
“It is encouraging that from this meeting, there is a good signal that we are indeed a people that are concerned with the sorry state of our education. We have agreed, as stakeholders, to continue pushing in order actualize the flagship projects,” Kumwenda said.
In his remarks, Chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Brainax Kaise, described the engagement meeting as “an eye opener which will indeed improve MPs lobbying skills and oversight role”.
According to the CSEC education budget analysis, construction of a Special Needs Education Institute is estimated at MK520 million, building of Special Needs Learning Centers in every education zone-MK312 million, construction of decent teachers houses-MK48 billion.
On the other hand, construction of Inkosi M’mbelwa University, which has been appearing in budget books for the past five years, will be funded through a local development bond, which, according to Kumwenda, will likely be unsuccessful.
The project has reportedly restarted under the current regime—now reportedly at design stage, which “will be completed by September 2022”. The contractor “is expected to be on site in January 2023.”
