It has never happened in Malawi\u2019s education history that, after the Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) launch a new primary school curriculum, they disapprove of some textbooks they just endorsed barely 12 months into the new curriculum.<\/p>\n
But this has become the case after MoEST is reported to have silently informed public and private schools that Chichewa books from Standard 1 to 4, which were certified to be part of the curriculum launched during the current academic year, will no longer be used effective next academic year.<\/p>\n
The development has angered the Independent Schools Association of Malawi (Isama), which on Saturday took on deputy Education, Science and Technology Minister, Vincent Ghambi, during the grand finale of the Big Brains Quiz Competition held Saturday at St Patrick\u2019s High School in Blantyre.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, on the review of Chichewa for Standard 1 to 4 by MIE and DIAS [Ministry of Education, Science and Technology], Isama is asking your ministry to make proper consultation before implementing the review. How could your ministry review the Chichewa books for Standard 1 to 4 after they were reviewed just last year?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should we be forced by a donor USAID [United States Agency for International Development] that we need [sic] to remove all the books for Chichewa for Standard 1 to 4 just because they were doing a survey? The book is supposed to take 8 to 10 years before it is revised again,\u201d queried Patel.<\/p>\n
Patel argued said independent schools, which depend on learners\u2019 fees to operate but receive no government grants, were incurring \u201cunnecessary\u201d costs due to erroneous decisions made by MoEST technocrats.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndependent schools bought the Chichewa books for Standard 1 to 4 [and] come this year, you tell us that you have removed the books because they were half-baked. What kind of technocrats, who would bring the materials which are not relevant to the current curriculum, do you have? Your ministry is confusing independent schools and the general public.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you institute a Commission of Inquiry to check what is the problem within MoEST and MIE that they bring this confusion. Where do we get money to buy the replacing [sic] books after we had already bought piles of books of Chichewa for Standard 1[through] to 4 last year?\u201d fumed Patel.<\/p>\n
Apparently, Ghambi was taken unawares.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me confess that I do know anything about the issue. But I promise that I will follow up with officials in my ministry because a curriculum cannot just be changed within a year. A curriculum is supposed to be there for some time,\u201d said Ghambi.<\/p>\n
And, speaking in an interview, Ghambi said he needed to follow up with officials in MoEST, saying there could be reasons for taking, or not taking, such a course of action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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