More qualified teachers are set to get jobs as the Malawi government moves to recruit 1,100 secondary school teachers.
The recruitment follows an online application exercise conducted by the Government Teaching Service Commission, which closed on July 10.
Ministry of Education Principal Secretary Dr Ken Ndala said the recruitment would help address the rising teacher-to-learner ratio following the introduction of free secondary education.
Speaking to the local media, Ndala said the ministry received applications through an online portal during the exercise for Grade I Secondary School Teacher vacancies.
The recruitment targeted qualified teachers in Humanities, Sciences, Languages, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technical Subjects, Creative and Performing Arts, and Special Needs Education for deployment to public secondary schools across the country.
Ndala said increased enrolment in secondary schools after the introduction of free secondary education had placed pressure on available teaching resources, creating the need for more teachers.
However, some graduates who applied for the positions have expressed concern over the number of vacancies available.
Amon Chimalawana, a graduate who applied for the recruitment, said the number of positions is disappointing considering the growing demand for teachers in secondary schools.
“This is more frustrating than you can imagine. As a country, we need to be moving forward. Every year, the government is increasing university intake, but when it comes to recruitment, only a small number of people are being considered. You can imagine how painful that is,” said Chimalawana.
He added that free secondary school education required more teachers to match the increasing number of learners.
“The teacher-to-student ratio does not match the current situation, yet we are not being given the opportunity to serve. It is very sad. In short, the government is not ready for free secondary school education,” he said.
Ndala, however, said the ministry was also procuring more teaching and learning materials and working with development partners to strengthen the delivery of quality secondary education.
The 1,100 recruits are expected to help ease staffing challenges in public secondary schools, although the ministry has acknowledged that additional teachers will still be needed to fully address existing gaps.
