Recently, Malawi National Examination Board (Maneb) announced that only 52 percent of candidates passed the 2021 Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations. Even for those who passed, the quality was poor for many, with the best student scoring eight points.
We have all failed the Malawian child when it comes to the quest for quality education.
Here are some of the problems that contribute to the decline of education standards in Malawi.
1.Parents
Most parents have not taken interest in what their children learn. Few spare time to look at notebooks and progress reports.
Provided they pay fees and the child has uniform and has eaten, they think they have done their part.
I admire learners of today, mostly those in town. They have everything at their disposal, but still fail. They abuse television, computers and mobile phones.
Some have never set foot in a public library. Their high teacher vacancy rates.
Other drawbacks include failure to conduct inspections and teacher performance audit.
Most teachers serve for too long on the same grade. The politically proclaimed promotions in 2019 did little to motivate them. Without interviews, anyone could have been promoted—even the dead—leaving out deserving applicants.
The Ministry of Education is too big to be under one minister. It needs more heads to stop the mass production of unemployable school leavers and graduates.
Should the youth wake up to demand better, there will be chaos.
3.Teachers
Many Malawians have come to realise that learners in private school pass with better grades than those in public institutions.
The truth of the matter is that most teachers on government’s payroll have private schools or put more effort on part-time jobs.
They seldom teach where their salaries are tallied. Nearly every secondary school runs an open learning programme where the teachers focus more. This is where their “money” is.
As such, they neglect ‘normal students’.
On the other hand, primary teachers opt for part time classes and small businesses to supplement their pathetic salaries. Absenteeism is rampant. Some leave learners to teach their peers, write notes and mark exercises.
Headteachers and education authorities just watch with little or no interest in this mayhem watered by poor governance.
Ex-president Bingu wa Mutharika tried to stop this, but failed. During founding president Kamuzu Banda’s era, no State-employed teacher operated a private or night school. We attended night classes gratis.
The same applied to health workers. You had to retire or resign to join the private sector.
Noting the mediocrity in education governance, faith groups have taken full control of some of their government-supported schools under the Association of Christian Educators in Malawi.
The government needs to catch up.
4.Learners
These days, most learners go to school without understanding why they go there.
For a wise student, the Covid-19 break in 2020 and 2021 was a chance to read more or catch-up.
One intelligent boy at Mbinzi Secondary School in Area 3, Lilongwe, said most students fail because they do not finish reading all the recommended textbooks. They wait for the teacher to push them.
When the teacher does not teach a topic, they also stop midway though Maneb examines the whole syllabus. Those who have not covered some topics cry that the examinations were difficult.
I was amazed by the Form Three boy’s reasoning. These are the children to help.
My
Turn
Recently, Malawi National Examination Board (Maneb) announced that only 52 percent of candidates passed the 2021 Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations. Even for those who passed, the quality was poor for many, with the best student scoring eight points.
We have all failed the Malawian child when it comes to the quest for quality education.
Here are some of the problems that contribute to the decline of education standards in Malawi.
1.Parents
Most parents have not taken interest in what their children learn. Few spare time to look at notebooks and progress reports.
Provided they pay fees and the child has uniform and has eaten, they think they have done their part.
I admire learners of today, mostly those in town. They have everything at their disposal, but still fail. They abuse television, computers and mobile phones.
Some have never set foot in a public library. Their group discussions centre on romance, relationships and televised soccer.
At worst, they return with babies instead of certificates.
2. Government
Government has failed to provide adequate learning and teaching materials as well as requisite infrastructure.
Most schools lack staff houses and teachers often get their pay late and seldom get promotions. This drains their motivation, fuelling
