Malawi to Hire 1,100 Secondary Teachers as Free Education Policy Strains Classrooms

Malawi’s government will recruit at least 1,100 secondary school teachers and absorb all unemployed primary teachers to manage a surge in enrolment under the country’s free education policy.

Education Minister Bright Msaka announced the plan on the sidelines of Parliament, stating that the new intake will help expand secondary education and ease pressure on early-grade classrooms, where numbers have risen sharply since school charges were removed.

Msaka said the ministry is focusing on foundational learning, increasing teacher numbers in Standards 1-4 to strengthen literacy and numeracy at the earliest stages. He also confirmed that the government will absorb all unemployed primary school teachers, including those from the IPTE 18 cohort, as part of efforts to stabilise staffing levels.

The recruitment drive is a direct response to rising enrolment under the free education policy, which has overwhelmed existing resources.

Article source: allafrica.com | Image credit: Malawi24