Learners get Covid-19 relief
Minister of Education, Science and Technology William Susuwele-Banda has urged learners in the country to embrace different modes of learning amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The minister said this on Wednesday during the launch of the Emergency Radio Education Programme (Erep) at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre.
He observed that despite the closure of both public and private schools in the country as one of the measures to prevent the further spread of Covid-19, learners still need to continue learning.
Said Susuwele-Banda: “We are living in a different world where you can learn through radios and phones. We want to ensure that we are not leaving any learner behind.”
The introduction of Erep provides learners with two modes of learning as government also launched online learning three weeks ago.
On whether government will soon open schools which were closed on March 23 this year, the minister said there is a special task force which is looking into the possibility of reopening schoosl
Making a virtual address at the launch, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) country representative Rudolf Schwenk observed that Erep is the a most effective way of teaching learners from home because not all learners have access to the Internet, books or supplies, and the support system necessary to continue learning.
Said Rudolf: “Radio is by far the most widely used medium and a critical information source for people, especially in rural areas in Malawi. And since many children in Malawi have low reading proficiency, the use of radio is a suitable solution for distant learning.”
The $10 million (about K7.4 billion) programme is being funded by Global Partnership for Education.
