Vice President Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima who is also the Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms expresses satisfaction with reforms in the Ministry of Education.
Chilima made the remarks after meeting Minister of Education Agnes Nyalonje and officials from the ministry.
“The Ministry of Education has been implementing seven reform areas which include decentralisation of some of its functions to six education divisions, improving quality of education, new criteria for promoting teachers, establishment of a Malawi Qualification Authority and the review of allowances for teachers based in rural areas,”
“It was pleasing to note that the ministry has made remarkable progress in some of the reforms relating to infrastructure and institutional changes,” Chilima says.
Chilima says, however, has emphasized that issues of quality of education must be addressed alongside infrastructure development.
“As the ministry works towards improving infrastructure, initiatives should include new desks, fully equipped laboratories and most importantly that the teaching of Information Communication Technology (ICT) must be mandatory to fully prepare our children for the digital global world,”
“On reviewing the criteria for teacher promotion, I suggested to the ministry that whatever methodology that will be used, but the teachers must be promoted and ensure that there is career growth and recognition for best performing teachers,” he says.
He says during the meeting, he also spoke strongly on the need to depoliticize the ministry starting with a personnel audit to flush out ghost teachers as well as political party functionaries who are allegedly on payroll as teachers.
“I directed that this must be done within 30 days. Earning taxpayers’ money for doing nothing is theft,”
“Before we meet again in 90 days, we have agreed on a concise roadmap outlining measures to track reforms that are underway as well as take a new direction for the fresh reform areas that the Ministry will embark on,” he says.
Chilima is meeting various ministries in his capacity as Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms.
