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Article: LCD organise first District Education Conference in Mulanje
Date: 19 March 2010 Location: Mulanje, Malawi |
On 19th March 2010, LCD Malawi and the Mulanje District Education department held the first ever District Education Conference. The aim of the conference was to share the findings of the School Performance Review conducted in 2009 in all 148 public primary schools in the district. Learners, parents, traditional leaders, community members, teachers, government officials, and members of the business community were among those who attended.
In his key note address, Mulanje District Education Manager, Mr Gossam Mafuta noted the need for communities to support schools through provision of teaching and learning materials, commenting “Communities have well furnished churches, furnished by the same communities, why can’t we do the same to schools?”. His presentation focused on the key strengths and weaknesses of schools in Mulanje district as well as recommendations for school improvement.
Following the presentation, a number of other issues impacting on schools were discussed. The work of Mother Groups, an LCD initiative introduced in all public schools in the District to promote girls’ education through support from women in the local community, was highlighted as a particularly positive addition. The dropout rate of girls in the district is currently 11%.
However there are still negatives, with the poor deployment of resources across classes being noted. “When you get to a school it is very easy to distinguish senior classrooms from lower ones, which are normally lacking in resources”, said Mr Dickson Phiri of Plan International. Mr Mafuta agreed “Some head teachers think class 1 is for old, worn out, retired teachers, which is unfortunate. We must ensure that learners enjoy their lessons in their first years of school, so they stay in school. Therefore lower classes deserve special attention as well”.
Speaking at the end of the conference, Traditional Authority Mabuka explained how the traditional leaders had been empowered by the District Education Conference.“This gathering has opened doors for us to hold schools accountable... this meeting has really opened our minds. We will be working hand in hand with the teachers and communities at large on issues of education of both boys and girls.”
