Ministry gives K3.5 million for Chitipa ECD centre

The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare has given K3.5 million to Chitipa District for the construction of Katutula Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwaulambia.

Deputy Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and social welfare Clement Mkumbwa reiterated the importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) when he presented a K3.5 million cheque to communities in the district, saying Malawi’s future depends on the success of children.

He said government is working hard to ensure that pre-scholars learn in a conducive environment.

‘‘Government puts much emphasis on early childhood development, and we will ensure that we provide enough and conducive learning centers across the country,’’ said Mkumbwa.

He, therefore, called upon parents in the border districts of Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia to send their infants to the pre-schools.

Chitipa district social welfare officer Joyce Luhana said every year government supports each district with financial resources for the construction of two ECD centres.

She said currently Chitipa has over 400 permanent ECD centres supported by government and other partners.

She, however, asked government to provide formal training to more caregivers in Chitipa, saying only half of the caregivers in the district are trained.