By Patience Longwe.

Lilongwe,28 June, Mana; Principal Secretary (PS) Responsible for Basic Education, Dr Rachel Chimbwete Phiri has said the Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP) aims at improving learning environment in primary schools by constructing additional classrooms for learners.

Speaking on Friday at the Ministry of Education offices in Lilongwe, Chibwete- Phiri said MERP project wants to construct 10,900 classrooms across the country.

She said, as government they want to ensure that pupils have safe learning environment, that is why they are having different activities taking place like school improvement grants (SIG) which are meant to directly support schools.

“We want to solve the existing primary school problems that is why we came up with this project as a tool to address education issues in the country,

“We also look at the issue of recruitment of auxiliary teachers, as education sector we need to have 1 to 60 teacher, pupil ratio in the primary schools”, She said.

She further said they is need for cooperation in the education sector, saying education is very important to the development of the country that is why efforts should be made to promote the education system.

In her remarks MERP desk Officer for Salima, Tereza Sibande Commended the program saying that it will help to improve education standards in the district.

“We have an activity in the MERP project called learners mentor whereby we help leaners who dropped out of school, many schools here are close to the lake so learners prefer to go to the lake than school. But with this activity we haves sensitised children to come back to school “, Sibande said.

MERP has several components which include school leadership programme (SLP) targeting 10,600 school leaders across the country, construction of 1000 sanitary rooms, hiring 4200 auxiliary teachers, and supporting administration of Common Zonal test, among others aimed at improving primary education.