The Ministry of Education has announced the recruitment of 4, 200 temporary auxiliary teachers in a move to reduce the pupil to teacher ratio in Malawi.
The recruitment of the auxiliary teachers is in response to the directive by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, tasking the ministry to reduce the ratio to achieve a target of 60 learners per teacher.
Currently, the pupil to teacher ratios in Malawi are very high, making teaching virtually impossible.
On several occasions, President Chakwera has sympathized with teachers who are forced to work under pressure because of these high pupil to teacher ratios.
Recently, he assured the nation of his commitment to improving their welfare by increasing their salaries and creating an enabling environment for their professional development and growth.
And to demonstrate that commitment, the government has now engaged 4, 200 temporary auxiliary teachers who will be placed in 32 education districts of the country.
The temporary auxiliary teachers have been drawn from the Initial Primary Teacher Education (IPTE) 14, 15 and 16.
“The Auxiliary Teachers will be placed in various Primary Schools in 32 education districts in the country for the 2024/2025 academic year. The IPTE 14, 15 and 16 teachers who will be selected and are willing to take up these positions are expected to report at their respective work stations on 1st September, 2024. Failure to report by 15th of September, 2024 will lead to automatic withdraw of the offer of engagement. The Ministry has increased the monthly honoraria amount the Auxiliary Teachers will be receiving by 50% to K120000.00,” reads a statement from the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Mangani Katundu.
Katundu said the engagement of the auxiliary teachers forms part of efforts by government to reduce the pupil qualified teacher ratio (PqTR) in Malawi.
Four months ago, the Government of Malawi launched the Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP) to act as a vehicle for improving the learning environment in public primary schools.
One of the components of MERP is the construction of 10, 900 classroom blocks and 1, 000 sanitation facilities.
The programme will benefit 3, 553 public primary schools.
Speaking at the launch of the programme in Dedza four months ago, President Chakwera said this is the biggest school infrastructure investment since Malawi introduced free primary education 30 years ago.
“We are reducing avoidable absenteeism and improving the pupil to permanent classroom ratio thereby giving pupils in low grade classes a convenient environment to excel. Our quest to provide quality education for all, in line with SDG #4 and Malawi Vision 2063, is on track with this kind of intervention,” he said.
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