“On Education”

Welcome to yet another discussion on Young African Perspective. Our subject today is Education in Malawi as we try to highlight the aspects of it that drastically need help. . .

Anthony:
Have you before heard the term Quota System used in reference to school related matters here in Malawi? I hope you have.
I remember vividly how I felt many years back when I was told my older brother was going to struggle(though he eventually made it) with selection to college because of Quota System despite his good points, it was the first I had heard of such language and I was too young to have understood it then but soon enough I did when it came to my primary school final of which I deserved a national secondary school but Got Chichiri instead(no diss intended).
If I make it sound unfair it’s because it is. People from a particular district can make it to good secondary schools or colleges with unimpressive results just because not many people in that district did well in their exam whilst in another district people will find it much harder to get a good selection because in their district more people did very well in the exam. How is that fair?
This is one major hurdle we have to over come, Malawians can not be competing on unfair circumstances such as these for the same colleges and schools.

Kherab:
With regards on the Malawian Education System, there are a number of challenges that need addressing,in my opinion, I think there aren’t enough structures to accommodate all students as most of the infrastructure and materials used especially in Government schools is old and needs renovation and updating. Lately it seems education has become unaffordable due to the increase of school fees resulting in a large number of students dropping out, this is a major setback for the country. Despite the vast amount of money allocated to the Ministry of Education each financial year, teachers in most public schools are forced to improvise as more times than not, there’s inadequate resources for learning. It’s a pity to say in 2018 they’re still students who walk for miles to get to the nearest school, on top of it all, the waiting list to get into a Public University is too long and sadly some of the best students do not make the short list, I appreciate the idea behind Quota system but the best solution I believe would rather be, to build more Universities to accommodate all deserving students. Last but not least, our leaders need to stop politicising education, politics has derailed most of the education development processes in Malawi.

Wasekera:
My take on the Malawian Education System is directed to the overall benefit and Psychological part of the cycle, we have a long way to go, that includes all the levels involved (Primary, Secondary and University). Long and exhausting learning hours do not mean the job is getting done. Most teachers are more interested in finishing the topics than making sure students understand the discussions. Our lessons are not practical hence the difficulties to relate and enjoy studies. Sadly enough I believe our mindset is programmed to see education not as a tool to develop our skills, learn new things and contribute to society but rather an escape plan from poverty and this has resulted to the ‘let’s get it over with attitude’. We may have the certificate but have we been truly educated? On the other hand The irrelevance of some topics in most primary and secondary syllabuses needs to be addressed, there is need to update the syllabuses and the system as a whole, I think it’s fair to say we have an incompetent Education System for this day and age.