By Tawonga Moyo

Mzuzu, June 28, Mana: Ministry of Education has urged learners in the country to be observant of challenges facing the nation for them to come up with solutions for the achievement of a Malawi they aspire to have.

Director of Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Education, Dr Golden Msilimba was speaking Friday in Mzuzu during the 53rd International Letter Writing Competition Prize Presentation Ceremony.

The competition, which was organized by Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) in collaboration with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) targeted learners aged between 9 to 15 years and attracted over 440 competitors across the country.

Msilimba encouraged learners to utilize current technological advancements in brainstorming how they can be applied in different sectors to solve challenges that they face.

"Nowadays, technology has surpassed everything as we see the use of artificial intelligence in crucial sectors such as health. As a future generation, have a habit of finding solutions to problems by taking advantage of present technological opportunities.

Our imagination as youths is what will shape a new Malawi and ensure the attainment of the Malawi2063, as such we should aspire to be a nation that is able to think, look and come up with solutions," said Msilimba.

Msilimba said besides implementing a number of programs in primary and secondary schools, the ministry is also training teachers in various skills so that learners can start reading and writing at an early stage of their education.

"About one percent of learners in standard one to four can read and write, which means 99 percent struggle to do so. We want to ensure that at least we reach up to 30 percent and to do that, we will continue supporting teachers and provide a conducive working environment for them," he said.

In his remarks, Board Director for MACRA, Alekeni Wodala Menyani described the competition as a necessary platform for young people to express themselves on things they think about.

"The theme for this year calls for young people to write a letter to future generations about the world they hoped to inherit and this gave them a chance to express themselves on the future they aspire to have" said Menyani.

In his remarks, winner of the competition from Mzuzu Government Secondary School, 15-year-old Gift Kansichi urged young people to believe in themselves and develop a reading culture to excel more in life.

Zaithwa Chombo from El-Shadai Academy Private Primary School and Ulalo Tembo from Mepic Private Primary School both aged 11 years scooped the second and third positions respectively.

The competition was held under the theme "At 150 years old, the UPU has served people around the world for more than eight generations. The world has changed enormously since then. Write a letter to future generations about the world you hope they inherit”.