Friday, August 21, 2009

Malawi president puts teachers on check

His Excellency the State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika cutting a ribbon. Pic by Malawi Digest.

By Emmanuel Sobilika

Malawi State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika has issued a stern warning to all teachers in Malawi especially those that disregard their work ethics.

Ngwazi Dr Mutharika issued the warning on Friday at Amalika in the southern region tea growing district of Thyolo.

The State President was speaking during the official inauguration ceremony of the international charity, the Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) Amalika Teachers Training College.

In his speech, Ngwazi Dr Mutharika said that he was disappointed with reports of misbehaviour and neglect of duty by some teachers in the country.

The President said the uncalled acts by some teachers in Malawi included immoral behaviour, acts drunkenness and absenteeism.

Ngwazi Dr Mutharika said that he had learnt with shock that some teachers and heads of education institutions were involving themselves in immoral acts by enticing young girls to have sex with them in exchange of better school results and grades.

“Some teachers have ended impregnating girls as young as 13 0r 14 years,” he said.

He wondered if these teachers do understand their role of imparting knowledge to the pupils and students.

Ngwazi Dr Mutharika said that instead of having a lot of girls doing well in their studies, often times the girl child was dropping out of school due to these under aged and unplanned pregnancies.

At this point, the State President had a strong warning for the teachers who lure young into having sex with them saying apart from being prosecuted, they would also be sent to jail.

“I want to warn you that once found, I will have you prosecuted, sent to jail and afterwards lose your job because to have no morals to teach a pupil or a student,” he said.

Ngwazi Dr Mutharika also appealed to parents to open up once they hear that their child has been molested by a teacher in order to bring to an end this uncalled for practice.

“You parents have a responsibility of stopping this misbehaviour by reporting all cases to government and the Police,” he said.

Ngwazi Dr Mutharika also condemned acts of drunkenness and teacher absenteeism in school institutions saying this is bringing down the quality of education in Malawi.

The State President wondered why under-qualified teachers were allowed to teach in classes that are beyond their education qualifications.

“How can a person who has failed Junior Certificate be found teaching in Form Three at a private secondary school? This is most unfortunate for our education system,” he said.

The State President then ordered that school inspection be intensified so that so that under qualified teachers are filtered out.

“The problem is that under qualified teachers give force hopes to a pupil or student that with a certificate in their hands they have good knowledge of what they were learning when in fact they were being cheated,” said the Ngwazi.

President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika also heaped praise on the international charity DAPP on government efforts to improve the standard of education in the country.

He said the teachers that would be graduating from the newly opened college would help reduce the shortage of teachers in the country.

Speaking earlier, Malawi’s Education Minister Dr George Chaponda said that there was need for other non-governmental organisations to help government in the improvement of the country’s education standards.

He recognised all efforts by organisations in establishing private colleges in order to help in the advancement of education in the country.

This is the second teacher training college opened by DAPP in Malawi.

The first one was opened in Chilangoma on the outskirts of the commercial city Blantyre.

The newly opened college was built with funds from the United States government and American Ambassador to Malawi Peter Bodde also spoke at the function.

According Maria Darsbo chairperson for Humana People to People, DAPP has identified land in the central region district of Dowa where another teacher training college construction will kick off shortly-Malawi Digest.

1 comment:

  1. this is good governance Mr President.If Muluzi could have been educated he could have seen the role of doing this.Cintinue Bingu so as to improve our education standards.

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