The Ministry of Education is implementing a six year programme with other partners called Building Education Foundation Through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT).
BEFIT aims at improving learning outcome in reading and numeracy through supplement use of tablet phones as one way of improving fast learning among the students.
Speaking during District Executive Committee in Balaka, Director of Open Distance and e-Learning in the Ministry of Education, Associate Professor Joshua Valeta said the new programme is targeting the most serious issues when it comes to the education sectors learning outcome.
He said right now, learning poverty in Sub-Sahara region is very high at 90 percent and Malawi is at 87 percent, meaning that only 13 percent of 10 year-old students are able to read with comprehension.
“The programme is here to turn that around by 2030, The programme is based on innovation and technology. The tablet phones which learners from standard to 4 get have a software that will enable them learn basic technology at the tender age. Thus year, we are targeting 577 schools and will be scaling up to 6000 schools in 2029,” said Valeta.
He further said the main aim is to build education foundation among the students in various ways.
“A strong education foundation will make our country successful because if you are failing to read ,write and apply knowledge you will not succeed.
” The programme will increase knowledge among the students in schools because of the innovation that has been put in the tablet phones,” said Valeta.
He said the programme has been designed to work using government systems so that everyone who is working in the education sector will be conversant with the system.
Valeta pleaded with the chiefs and community members involved to take part in taking care of the gadgets in the schools which has been selected.
Balaka District Commissioner Darwin Mngoli hailed BEFIT programme which is expected to be rolled out in Balaka saying learners in the schools which have been selected will adapt to new technology and learn fast.
Mngoli concurred with the director on urging the community and all sectors involved to take care of the gadgets and make sure that they are used for its intended purpose.
The BEFIT Programme is implemented by the Malawi Government with funding from different partners like VSO, Imagine World Wide, One Billion and other partners. If Malawi is succeeded in the implementation of the programme it will be a learning example in other countries.
