Inkosi M’mbelwa calls for education curriculum change

Inkosi ya Makosi M’mbelwa V of Mzimba has proposed a review of the country’s education curriculum to incorporate cultural programmes to avoid further loss of Malawi’s cultural identity.

The Ngoni chief observed that Malawi is losing its cultural values because they are not being passed on to young generations due to the gap in the education curriculum.

Speaking in an interview with The Daily Times, M’mbelwa said the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should ensure that learners are taught, among others, about traditional dances in school.

“As chiefs, we do not have proper structures that can help us to impart the cultural values to the young generation. Therefore, we suggest that using the same education structures, learners should be conversant with their culture through their lessons.

“We hope that if our request were considered, we would never see some dances or languages such as Ngoni disappearing,” M’mbelwa said.

While acknowledging that few people speak the Ngoni language in Mzimba due to intermarriages, M’mbelwa feels the situation can be reversed if the Ministry of Education incorporated culture in the education syllabus.

However, the Education Ministry spokesperson Lindiwe Chide downplayed the chief’s concerns, observing that cultural aspects are already covered under subjects like Expressive Arts, Social and Development Studies and History.

Chide said cultural programmes are also covered under extracurricular activities.

She, however, admitted that the implementation has not been impressive and that the ministry would monitor the situation and act accordingly.

But Educational Secretary at Livingstonia Synod of Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Reverend Vincent Kalua concurred with M’mbelwa, contending that if the government does not implement such proposals, Malawians cultures would vanish within a few years.

“Schools do not take cultural things as a priority; as a result, western culture has overpowered our cultures. With the coming of the social media, learners ignore culture. Therefore, we support the idea because everyone is identified with culture,” Kalua said.

The Mzimba Ngoni has Umthetho as their cultural event, while the Tumbuka, the Lhomwe and the Chewa have Gonapamhanya, Mulhakho and Kulamba, in that order, just to mention a few.