ZOMBA-(MaraviPost)-The Deputy Minister of Education, Nancy Chaola Mdooko has urged fresh graduates of Domasi College of Education (DCE) to act as parents, guardians and role models to the students they will teach.
Speaking on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the College’s 27th graduation ceremony at its campus in Zomba where a total of 498 students were awarded diplomas and degrees, Deputy Minister marked the event as crucial to the country as it has created a new capital for national development by aiding human capital development enshrined in the Malawi 2063 vision.
She observed that human capital development is derived from the education system as the core enabler of the Malawi 2063 blueprint which envisions an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant Malawi, industrialized with upper middle-income status by the year 2063.
“I am sure we are also aware that a core enabler of the Malawi 2063 vision is human capital development. This is dependent on a sound education system that trains and prepares our children and youth for the future,” she said.
The Deputy Minister further said the first 10-year implementation plan (MP1) of the Malawi 2063 aspires increased equitable access to education, improved quality and relevance of education and enhanced governance and management of education system by 2030 with higher education sub sector inclusive.
She therefore stressed on the need to scale up secondary school education access which currently only enrolls 16% of the secondary school age children and only accommodates 50% of the children who passed Primary School Leaving Certificate Examinations (PSLCE).
She added that the ministry is aware that education represents a continuum ranging from early childhood to tertiary education and is working on reducing school dropout and repetition rates in primary schools as well as improving teaching and learning foundation skills in efforts to increase the number of children that qualifies to progress to secondary school thereby maintaining the undisputable demand for more teachers.
The Deputy Minister also highlighted the need to expand secondary school education as well which she said will then create the demand to expand the tertiary education and described it as the only way Malawi can compete economically with the rest of the countries in the world.
“Our current requirement, if we are to be successful, is to massively expand our secondary school teacher workforce from its current level of 13, 673 qualified teachers in secondary school to 50,919 teachers by 2030.
‘We will need more teachers especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).” she highlighted.
She therefore assured the country that the ministry will ensure that teachers are well supported and placed at the heart of the education system.
She also said the Malawi government through the development support has embarked on expansion of secondary school infrastructures, citing the construction of secondary school in rural areas across the country supported by the US government as an instance.
In her concluding remarks, the Deputy Minister applauded the Japanese government through JICA for the expansion and upgrading of DCE through projects which have increased bed spaces for female students, teaching and learning space for all students including students with special needs.
She also expressed her belief that the Japanese government will continue to support the education sector in Malawi as the country implements the Malawi 2063 and MP1.
She also thanked the World Bank, which through the Skills for a Vibrant Economy (SAVE) project has plans to construct Open Distance Learning (ODEL) at DCE and described ODEL as one of the most rapidly growing modes of instruction globally.
Speaking earlier, Principle of Domasi College of Education, Dr Arkanjel Mtipe Yambeni concurred with the Deputy Minister by encouraging graduands to lead in the labour industry.
“Teachers are a key in attaining the Malawi 2063 Vision. They’re required to help in producing skilled labor in the process of achieving Human Capital Development, Enabler number 5, I see that in these graduands,” he said
