Government concludes largest recruitment of secondary school teachers in the country’s history

Student-teacher ratio is high right from primary schools

* Recruitment and promotion of teachers form part of ongoing efforts by to improve the quality of education service delivery

* Government assures the nation to continue reducing the current high student-teacher ratio

By Duncan Mlanjira

The Malawi Government has recruited over 1,000 teachers which represents the largest recruitment of secondary school teachers in the country’s history.

The government has also promoted over 1,500 teachers — making the total number of successful teachers that have been recruited and promoted at 2,599 in disciplines of sciences, languages, humanities, technical education and special needs education.

A statement from Secretary for Education Chikondano Mussa said the names of successful teachers have already been sent to all the six Education Division offices where candidates can access the results.

She said the successful teachers are therefore requested to immediately report to the Divisions under which they are appearing for deployment details to start working the week beginning Monday, March 28, 2022.

“Recruitment and promotion of teachers form part of ongoing efforts by Government to improve the quality of education service delivery in the country.

“Government would like to assure the nation that it will continue reducing the current high student-teacher ratio to improve the quality of education across all education sub-sectors,” she said.

In the 2022 Pastoral Letter that was read on March 6 that commemorated the 30th anniversary of ‘Living Our Faith’ document that was authored in 1992, the Catholic Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi reminded the current leadership that the 1992 Pastoral Letter also addressed the need for government to pay attention to providing quality education for its youth.

The Bishops said that document “stressed that education should be holistic, should help the student acquire values such as respect for elders, promote creativity in the pupil, enable the student to appreciate his or her cultural heritage, help the student develop training and skills that would allow him or her to earn a decent living in the future”.

“In short, such education should seek excellence while aiming at providing education for everyone. Honestly speaking, if we examine where we find ourselves today, it is sad to find and admit that we are far from the aspirations of our fore-fathers.

“The education system and facilities have been deteriorating over the years since the ushering in of multiparty dispensation. The standards and facilities of education are deplorable especially for the poor people in rural areas. It is one of the most neglected sectors of development.

“If nothing is done, the future of this nation is doomed. Unfortunately governments and the majority of political leaders seem unwilling to take seriously this project of overhauling the education system and injecting resources into it.

“This trend is very worrisome and must not be allowed to continue. To continue providing good quality education for the sons and daughters of the rich minority while neglecting the vast numbers from poor families is a very dangerous path for this country.

“This is a concrete example of inequality and injustice that our national education system is perpetuating. This must be addressed forthwith. We look forward to a day when children from both rich and poor families receive quality education under one roof and can be provided with equal opportunities to excel in life.

“To this end the Church is always willing to partner with Government to improve the education standards of the nation.

The March 8, 1992 Pastoral Letter the Bishops wrote criticised former President late Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s one party state under Malawi Congress Party (MCP) that eventually culminated into the country in a multi-party democracy.

Under ‘New Ills in our Country’, the Bishops reminded the nation that the 1992 Pastoral Letter “encouraged democracy, the rule of law, participatory government, transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption among other matters”.