By George Mponda & Ephraim Ngwira

 Karonga, November 14, Mana: MIRACLE Technical Institute (MTI) in Karonga on Monday celebrated its 25th anniversary of empowering youths with vocational skills.

Since its inception in 1999, the Marianist Institute of Rural Artisans for Christian Life Education (MIRACLE) has been providing training and education to young people, equipping them with the skills necessary to succeed in various trades and industries.

Besides commemorating its 25th anniversary, 167 graduates were awarded certificates after successfully completing their vocational training programs in the informal, formal and commercial sectors.

Marianist Regional Supervisor of Eastern Africa Father Steve Wanyoike Mburu who was guest of honor at the celebration said God has walked with the institution for 25 years and there is need to show gratefulness for this.

"Catholic schools are built on the conviction that God exists and they are places where young people go to attain an education while at the same time learning how to love other human beings,” said Father Mburu.

Principle for MTI Wanangwa Sichoni said the school offers formal, informal and commercial programs to give room for everyone to have a chance to participate and acquire necessary skills.

“Many students who were coming to enroll with us did not have a qualification that can allow them to access the institute. We saw it necessary to incorporate them as well and they have proved to be more productive than the formal students.

“We are celebrating 25 years of success and growth. We began very small with three courses but now we have seven courses including two commercial courses. Since 1999, we have managed to train over 2000 youths with technical skills in the country,” Sichoni said.

Sichoni also said that they are working on plans to engage education stakeholders so that they can start offering degree programs.

Northern Region Manager for TEVETA, Joseph Chikopa hailed the Catholic Church for its efforts in providing quality education to Malawian youths through its various institutions.

MTI was initially intended for poor orphans but recently it has opened its doors to all youths in Malawi.