MPs push for K20bn to recruit teachers
Parliamentary Budget Cluster for Education, Science and Technology has called on government to allocate K20 billion in this year’s budget for recruitment of 11 000 teachers.
The cluster made the recommendation on Wednesday when it submitted a report to Parliament following consultations that it made on the education budget.
It’s chairperson Ephraim Nayeja said due to Covid-19 pandemic it is risky to have schools operating with teacher- pupil ratio of 1:100.
He said the ratio has to be reduced significantly by employing more teachers.
Nayeja further said government has to make the learning environment safe, adding that the numbers of Covid-19 cases are on the rise. Yesterday, Malawi recorded 79 new cases and two deaths.
“What we need now are more teachers. For a start, government should allocate K20 billion to recruit 11 000 teachers for primary and secondary schools.
“In that way, we will make the learning environment conducive for our children and teachers,” he said.
Nayeja added that recruiting more teachers will help to improve education standards in the country.
Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe agreed with the cluster’s recommendation, saying currently there is a huge deficit of teachers in the country.
He said studies show that the country needs 82 000 more teachers to meet the desired ratio of 1 teacher to 40 learners.
“The current ratio is very high. It is around 1 to 110 and in some rural areas it is around 1 to 200.
“It is also worrisome when you look at the special needs teachers. The recommended ratio is about 1 to 15 but currently 1 teacher handles over 40 learners,” said Kondowe.
He added that there is also need to concentrate on community day secondary schools (CDSS).
Kondowe said the CDSS‘s are facing shortage of teachers and this is having an impact on performance of learners.
“I hope government will take the recommendation seriously because not doing so will be fatal. The Tonse Alliance government should learn to prioritise things that build the nation and education is one of the things that build the nation,” he said.
