By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, February 13, Mana: Director of Education and Sports in Nkhata Bay, Votie Mboweni has disclosed that 60 more public primary schools in Nkhata Bay will be benefiting from the Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) program in the next academic year.

In an interview Thursday during media engagement event organized by Nkhata Bay Gouncil and Organization for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Initiative (OSSEDI), Mboweni said this is a plus to the district, as more learners will be exposed to the technology.

"I can confirm that an assessment of schools has been completed, and 60 additional schools will join the current 29 participating schools.

"This means more learners will benefit from the programme, which aims to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills using innovative technology and teaching methods through the tablets," he said.

He therefore expressed optimism that by 2029 the program will be rolled out in all 202 schools in the district.

Project Manager for OSSEDI, Alick Makiyi noted that the programme has shown improved performance in mathematics and increased attendance of leaners in Nkhata Bay.

"Putting all programmes in Chichewa has not only helped learners understand all 4000 programmes easily but also helped them to understand the language easily," he added.

He therefore said that the involvement of the media will help publicize the programme to rural areas.

"Many people are unaware of the programme, and there are misconceptions that need to be cleared.

"We're confident that media platforms will help share correct information, contributing to the programme's sustainability," Makiyi said.

However, Makiyi expressed concerns about implementation challenges, including topography in Nkhata Bay, which makes weekly monitoring difficult and malfunctioning gadgets affecting school tasks.

BEFIT is a Malawi government's program being implemented by Ministry of Education across the country and through OSSEDI in Nkhotakota and Nkhata Bay aiming at improving the foundational literacy and numeracy skills of all primary school learners in standard 1-4 by use or tablets.