By Andrew Mkonda

Dowa, September 19, Mana: Ministry of Education has hailed the National Planning Commission (NPC) for introducing MW2063 comic book in primary school which will assist in changing the mindset of learners at a tender age.

Secretary for Education Dr. Mangani Katundu made the remarks Wednesday at Mponela II primary school in Dowa during the launch of the MW2063 Comic book for primary school learners.

“As educators, we know that there are different ways you can reach out to different groups in a community. For children, the use of comic books is one of the best ways in which you can influence, attract interest and maintain the interest of the children.

“So as the country, we thought that this journey of MW2063 is not just for us, but also for the generation that is still in primary school,” he said.

Katundu then urged development partners to join hands with the government in reaching out to different groups of people so that the country attains its vision.

NPC Director General Dr Thomas Munthali said they thought of coming up with a comic book in different languages so that young ones can start understanding and embracing the MW2063 vision at a tender age.

Munthali then asked parents and teachers to take a leading role in making children understand the translation of MW2063 as illustrated in the comic book.

“Let me take this opportunity to request our development partners to assist us in producing more copies so that we reach out to all 6,000 primary schools across the country.

“We plan to give out 100 copies to each school, but we have only produced 10, 000 copies, which is not enough at all,” he said.

UNICEF Country Representative Shadreck Omol said UNICEF is committed to partner with government in making sure that learners in primary school understand and get involved in the development aspirations of the country.

“I am so happy to see young children citing some of the enablers in the MW2063 blueprint through their poems, songs and drama, that’s what we want,” he said.

Omol further said UNICEF will continue working hand in hand with NPC and Ministry of Education in making sure that the books reach out to every school across the country.

Speaking in a separate interview, Head-girl for Mponela II primary school Evelyn Liyisoni thanked NPC for the initiative saying it will go a long way in changing the mindset of young ones after reading the book.

NPC and the Ministry of Education developed the MW2063 comic book for primary school learners in 2022.

By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, September 19, Mana: Poetry Association of Malawi (PAM) has reaffirmed its commitment to revamp the poetry industry in the country and help poets benefit from their art.

PAM President, Robert Chiwamba told Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Thursday that currently, the poetry industry is not in a stable state.

“Poetry is in bad shape, this is because of the economic environment as people are struggling to make ends meet and artists concentrate on earning a living through economic activities,” he said.

Chiwamba said PAM will continue promoting the art by connecting its members to opportunities and speaking on artists’ behalf in forums.

“The greatest work of the association is to network poets so that they should work jointly in improving their crafts, collaborate with organizations to run competitions, connect young poets with established ones and work with writer clubs in universities to improve poetry,” he said.

He admitted that it is hard for poets to make a living out of their art citing that technology has brought change on the market.

“Since Compact Disks (CD) phased out due to technology, poets have not found a way of packaging and selling their art. As a result, most of them have not seen the benefits of their skills,” he added.

He therefore urged government to intervene and come up with policies that would enable poets to capitalize on the high number of followers and subscribers that they have online to make money.

“This can partly be solved if and when the Malawi government discusses with platforms such as YouTube for monetization guidelines,” he said.

One of the renowned poets, Hardson Chamasowa said the poetry industry in Malawi is not where it is supposed to be due to lack of a platform to expose talent.

“To revive our industry we need popular poetry events such as Chitsinda Cha Ndakatulo and the Land of Poets Festival and ensure that they are held regularly and grow in scale,” he said.

However, Chamasowa expressed optimism that there is an opportunity for poets to make money from their art by utilizing the Internet.

“We can still make money through the internet. We need to develop an official PAM website, which can serve as a platform for poets to showcase and monetize their work. This should have secure payment systems like bank transfers and mobile wallets, ensuring poets are compensated whenever their poems are downloaded,” Chamasowa explained.

A fan who used to patronize poetry shows, Andrew Jonas from Machinjiri in Blantyre said in an interview that poetry has become unpopular since they do not organize shows regularly.

PAM brings together people or groups involved in promoting poetry in Malawi to preserve Malawian culture, educate, and entertain through poetry.

By Sellah Chunda

Mchinji, August 18: Authorities have reported that Mchinji One Stop Border Post will significantly contribute to enhancement of the country’s revenue collection.

This was revealed during a media engagement tour in Mchinji on Wednesday.

Speaking during the tour, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Christina zakeyu, highlighted Malawi's progress in generating revenue compared to previous years.

“Since the implementation of the One Stop Border Post, we have seen considerable improvements in revenue collection. In the past, we collected around one billion kwacha a month through the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), but this has now increased to over three billion kwacha monthly,” said Zakeyu.

Zakeyu said coordination among border agencies has also helped towards the improvement unlike previously, when they operated independently.

Zakeyu added to say more facilities are yet to come, as this is part of the COMESA project funded with 3.5 million euros.

"We have introduced new systems, including the operational Smart Gate. The processing time for travelers crossing the border has drastically reduced from eight days to just one or two days, which is a significant improvement.

"We are witnessing increased business activity from cross-border traders, and we view this project as a game changer," said Zakeyu.

Station Manager for MRA at the Mchinji One Stop Border Post, Tapiwa Mzunga, emphasized the role of the newly installed equipment in enhancing operational efficiency.

She said the equipment will help monitor how long goods take to clear through the One Stop Border Post and facilitate faster trade and movement of people.

However, Zakeyu noted that Malawi is still exporting fewer goods compared to imports from Zambia.

The Mchinji One Stop Border Post was launched to streamline and enhance cross-border trade between Malawi and Zambia.

By: Golden Kang'oma

Salima, September 18, Mana: Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule, has expressed concern over the dilution of Malawi's cultural identity due to technological advancements.

Speaking during a visit to Gwirize Cultural Village in Salima district on Wednesday, Kamtukule highlighted the importance of blending technology with cultural preservation as the country celebrates Tourism Month.

She said: "We are lamenting the loss of our authenticity as Malawians, technological progress is not the problem, but when culture is sacrificed at the altar of innovation, it becomes an issue."

Kamtukule emphasized the need to establish cultural villages in all 28 districts to preserve and promote Malawian heritage. She said the ministry aims to work closely with the Ministry of Local Government to integrate culture as a key tourism product.

"People visit Malawi to see our unique culture, so when we are doing our things, we should make sure that we do things as Malawians so that people from other countries can learn from us," she said.

Chairperson for Gwirize Cultural Village, Noah Chana, said they are in the pipeline of improving their facilities and plan to launch a website to attract international visitors.

 "We aim at marketing the village globally and offer accommodation for tourists, this is to make sure that our culture is preserved and it's marketed globally," Chana said.

Chana added that the initiative is seen as a way of boosting local revenue and contribute to community development, with proceeds supporting needy students in surrounding schools.

Salima District Council Chairperson, Ephraim Manthepa said the cultural village is putting the district on the map and it has the potential to improve people's livelihoods.

By Prisca Mashushu

Lilongwe, September 18, Mana: Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi (FEDOMA) says is satisfied with the increased number of students with disabilities who have passed the 2024 Malawi School Certificate Examinations (MSCE).

FEDOMA Project Coordinator, Lyson Mapanga highlighted that increase of the number of students with disabilities passing exams is an indication of FEDOMA's efforts in ensuring that the rights of disabled children are observed.

“As an organization, we are pleased with the number of disability students’ performance who sat for the MSCE this year and they should be appreciated in a special way as they face various challenges in order to access quality education.

“We would like to thank the Ministry of Education for providing all necessary resources and support and other basic needs to students with disabilities to ensure they access their education," he explained.

However, Mapanga appealed to different stakeholders including the government, Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb), Malawi Union of the Blind and others to continue supporting students with different special needs to be given special consideration while accessing their education for the betterment of their performance.

He pointed out that students with disabilities face tremendous challenges including discrimination, lack of access to technology resources used for education purposes and proper care during learning hours.

Concurring with Mapanga, Education expert Douglas Nyirenda said the success observed highlights government’s commitment in the provision and promotion of education which implies that Malawi is on course towards achieving Malawi agenda 2063 that aims at promoting inclusion of people of all statuses.

“In the just released MSCE results students with special needs scored 55.59 percent pass rate which is a commendable figure compared to previous years as well as the history of special needs education.

“This also signifies that government is working tirelessly to provide adequate teaching, learning and assessment resources to help learners who have special needs," he said.

Nyirenda said government and other stakeholders should follow different strategies to provide more support to learners with special needs including increasing number of specialist teachers in all government schools to respond positively to such students.

“Government should also offer continuous professional development courses to help students with special needs and provide more material resources in schools for example construction of friendly usable schools as one way of promoting education among special need students,” he explained.

About 734 special needs students sat for the examination and 411 have passed the examinations representing 55.99 percent.

By Beatrice Bangula

Blantyre, September 18, Mana: Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has commenced its lean season food distribution in Blantyre where thousands of residents gathered at Kamuzu Stadium to receive the much needed relief.

Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), DoDMA’s Director of Preparedness and Response, Reverend Moses Chimphepo, said the initiative follows a directive from President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera after his visit to the Lower Shire and other districts in the southern region.

“During the President’s visit, people raised concerns about food shortages and in response, he directed that DoDMA immediately begin distributing food,” Chimphepo said.

Laytton Nkata, Director of Administration for Blantyre City Council, described the hunger situation in Blantyre as ‘quite serious,’ noting that 50, 000 households will benefit from the food distribution.

“We’ve learned a lot from the Tropical Cyclone Freddy and with this cooperation between the council and DoDMA, we will be able to assist those affected,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, a 70-year-old woman from Machinjiri, Vera Chiwaula whose farmland was destroyed by floods, expressed her gratitude for the support.

“I’m so happy with what the government has done, I usually buy 10kgs of flour to feed my children and grandchildren, having my crop field swept away by floods, it has been difficult to survive as such this 50kgs of maize will help us a lot,” she said.

DoDMA is distributing 50-kilogramme bags of maize to individuals, an effort prompted by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report, which indicated that around 5.7 million Malawians are expected to face food shortages this lean season.

By Mary Makhiringa

Balaka, September 18, Mana: At least 51, 800 households in Balaka district stand to benefit from the 2024 – 2025 lean season programme, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has revealed.

Briefing the full council members on Wednesday, an official from DoDMA, Annie Mapulanga said following the El Nino impacts that the country faced, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report indicated that 233, 101 people which represents 51, 800 families do not have enough food to sustain themselves for a year in Balaka.

“We are responsible to respond to the food situation in the country. In Balaka, it will be a 50 kilogrammes of maize, which will be given for five months to households.

“We have secured resources for two months only for Balaka, which the World Food Programme (WFP) has sub granted Find Your Feet to help in the distribution of the relief food,” she said.

Mapaulanga added: “We could not wait to finish up the processes to all the five months considering that people are struggling with no food to eat, which is why we opted to start distributing even though we do not have the cover for all the five months.”

According to Mapulanga, all beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer will automatically be included in the programme because of their vulnerability.

Mapulanga pointed out that the maize was specifically to benefit a household and the community leaders are discouraged from asking beneficiaries to share the maize with anyone.

Member of Parliament for Balaka North, Tony Ngalande hailed government through the WFP for the timely assistance, saying Balaka is one dry area which makes it prone to disasters almost annually.

“Let me urge the implementing partner to consider distributing the relief maize at Group Village Head level than T/A because doing so will be simple as it will avoid missing out deserving people,” he said.

However, Ngalande bemoaned the tendency of sideling political leaders in the programme, saying they are equally instrumental in lobbying for such interventions in parliament.

Countrywide at least 5, 692, 112 people in 28 districts of Malawi are food insecure and require food assistance ranging from three months and the hardest hit requiring six months food assistance.