By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, October 10, Mana: Ministry of Education has stated that the Malawi Education for Reform Programme (MERP) will help in achieving inclusive education and contribute to Malawi Vision 2063.  

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Thursday, the Public relations officer for the Ministry of Education, Mphatso Nkuonera, said under the programme classroom blocks are designed to be disability friendly recognizing that almost all the schools have children with disability.

“The classrooms that have been, and will be built are not multi-story, as the ministry recognized this could pose danger and potentially cause accidents to children with disability,” he explained.

Nkuonera stated that most schools have benefited from MERP in one way or another.

“The beneficiaries of the project are grouped into four components. Under the first component, Public School Improvement Grant (PSIG) was distributed to 6000 public primary schools by 2024. Secondly, 1084 primary schools have benefited classroom blocks, 3500 schools have benefited auxiliary teachers, 2605 schools have gained learner mentors, and all 6000 schools have benefitted from the school leadership programme,” he said.

Inclusive education expert, Elizabeth Kamchedzera, told Mana on Thursday that inadequate facilities significantly affect children with disabilities in education.

“There is reduced academic achievement among children with disabilities as they are unable to perform effectively. This leads to increased school dropout rates, low concentration due to decreased self-esteem and confidence and limited participation in educational activities,” she said.

Kamchedzera added that for inclusive education to be a success in Malawi, more accessible infrastructure must be constructed for all learners irrespective of their differences.

“Construction of equipped resource centers in the schools, adequate allocation of funds to the directorate of inclusive education, inclusive curriculum and use of technology in teaching and learning can contribute to inclusive education as well,” she said.

She further emphasized that more teachers must be trained in inclusive education among other areas.

Kamchedzera suggested that Malawi could adopt other practices from other countries, which involve community engagement and partnerships that bring together educators, policymakers and disability advocates to ensure inclusive education in the country.

The $210 million MERP project was launched by the Malawi government in partnership with the World Bank in 2022 and will run until 2026, designed to enhance and improve the country's primary school.