TEN WAYS HOW SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT FUNDED PROJECTS HAVE CHANGED LIVES IN MALAWI

By Humza Yousaf*

Today I am travelling to Malawi, for my second visit to that beautiful country.

I’m travelling there because next month marks the tenth anniversary of the Cooperation Agreement signed by the Governments of Malawi and Scotland, and while I am there, as well as meeting with a number of Government Ministers, I will visit some of the projects funded by the Scottish Government, and delivered by Scottish organisations.

It’s a great chance for me to see first-hand the enormous difference that the partnership between Scotland and Malawi makes to the lives of Malawians, and to meet some of the people who have benefited from the projects we support, and to hear of the impact that this work has had upon their lives.

Scots should be very proud of the work we’ve done with Malawi, and after ten years it’s very easy to see the real difference that has been made thanks to the cooperation between our two countries.

To mark the ten years of partnership, here’s ten ways Scottish Government funded projects have changed lives in Malawi.



1. Medical training

Since 2006, the Scottish Government has funded the Universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh to build capacity and strengthen teaching and learning at the College of Medicine in Blantyre. A combined total of over £2.4 million has been spent on 9 projects through which medical academics and professionals have contributed to the quadrupling of the annual number of medical graduates in Malawi from 16 to over 100.

St Andrews and Edinburgh have worked in close partnership with the College of Medicine to improve technology and improve the general quality teaching and learning, using Scottish expertise to make a profound contribution to Malawi’s only medical school.

2. Renewable Energy

The Scottish Government’s £2.3m flagship Malawi Renewable Energy Acceleration Programme (MREAP) is our single biggest International Development project to date, and has brought new energy access to almost 80,000 people in rural Malawi through a range of technologies including solar, micro-hydro, biogas and fuel efficient cookstoves. MREAP took a unique approach, with intensive levels of community engagement supporting the communities themselves to take decisions on their own energy priorities.

3. Cervical screening

A project in Malawi delivered by NHS Lothian in partnership with Nkhoma Hospital and funded by the Scottish Government has provided cervical screening to more than 10,000 women and raised awareness on the importance of screening among 33,000 people.

4. Meningitis awareness

Training delivered by the Meningitis Research Foundation is helping medical professionals in Malawi spot the early signs of meningitis in children. Thanks to the scheme health care workers are better able to spot the early signs of the disease and nearly 140,000 children attending primary health care were priorities for treatment by clinicians and received timely emergency treatment and referral to hospital when severely ill.

5. Vocational education

A project run by the Global Concerns Trust has given 106 adults with disabilities training in carpentry or tailoring and given 57 the tools they need to start up their business. Thanks to the scheme, 21 primary schools now offer extra-curricular vocational training, all within rural areas, with approximately 40% of participants being girls and at least 560 pupils have received some vocational training over the three years of the scheme.

6. Helping people earn a living

Another Global Concerns Trust project has given  62 people with disabilities vocational training, as well as training in business skills and HIV/AIDS. This training has helped people to earn a living, with an average more than fivefold increase in income for those trained.

7. Improving educational standards 

Link Community Development Scotland have been working with the Malawian Department of Inspection and Advisory Services (DIAS) to establish the new National Education Standards (NES) to support education inspection and advisory services in Malawi.

8. Improving the treatment of mental illness

Since 2010, the Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project has worked to improve the treatment of mental illness through the education and training of mental healthcare professionals in Malawi, particularly focussing  on improving the identification and treatment of maternal depression and post natal depression.  Its flagship achievement was to establish Malawi’s first ever Masters in clinical psychiatry at the College of Medicine in Blantyre. Further funding has enabled SMMHEP to roll this training out to community level. District Mental Health Teams that have so far trained over 100 primary healthcare workers to improve mental health in communities in 2 districts of Malawi.

9. Helping smallholders boost crops.

The James Hutton Institute has been delivering a project helping rural smallholders face up to climate change, establishing 100 Climate Smart Agriculture clubs which planted out 85,000 trees. As well as this, 2,000 banana plants were distributed to smallholders, and the project established of 480 home gardens and gave 30 farmers seeds which would thrive under changing climates.


10.  Scotland Malawi Partnership and Malawi Scotland Partnership

The Scottish Government has supported the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) and its sister organisation the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP), based in Malawi, for over a decade. Since then, the SMP’s membership has grown to more than 700, including  local authorities, universities and colleges, schools, churches, hospitals, businesses, charities, NGOs and community-based organisations all over Scotland.

Through the two organisations, more than 94,000 Scots and 198,000 Malawians work in partnership together each year, and each year more than 300,000 Scots and 2 million Malawians benefit from the activities of the SMP, MaSP and their members.

And that last example is important, because it underlines the partnership approach that lies behind Scottish development work, based on people-to-people to links supported through Scottish organisations.

We benefit enormously in Scotland from our relationship with Malawi. For example, our recent Hydro Nation project has seen officials from both Governments working together and learning from each other on water management, governance and legislation. This knowledge sharing has informed new, updated legislation in both countries. Both Scotland and Malawi share an interest in water resource management, community management of assets and increasing public engagement, and we are learning from each other in these areas.

This unique partnership approach means Scotland will continue to learn from Malawi, at the same time as we share our expertise.


These ten achievements demonstrate ten years of benefit in health, in education and in energy. Many challenges still exist, but by working together we can help to eliminate poverty in Malawi.

*The author is Scottish Government Minister for International Development

Legislators’ Political Balancing Act

It promises to be a tasking five years in Parliament.

The legislators gave us a taste of what to expect in the just ended Parliamentary sitting,  as shown by Malawi’s new breed of legislators,  the likes of Juliana Lunguzi and David Bisnowaty, who tailored their measured speeches in such a way that their constituents may have shared their mental struggles and missteps along their way to a well-mapped out political path.

For example, Bisnowaty, the Lilongwe City Central Constituency Member of Parliament said there was need to conduct a thorough forensic audit at the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education Training Authority (Teveta) before the government could oil the financial wheels of the institution. That was in response to Finance, Economic Planning and Development Minister, Goodall Gondwe’s proposal that the government be allowed to secure a loan amounting to K18.9 billion from the International Development Association of the World Bank.

Gondwe said the aim of the loan was to increase access to higher education through a Skills Development Project targeting Teveta, Mzuzu University, University of Malawi’s Chancellor College and The Polytechnic, and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar).

But, looking at Cashgate, the observation was reasonable. And Bisnowaty’s observation that Teveta cannot be funded through a loan because of the commercial nature of its activities is a spot-on observation.

Teveta collects millions from willing and unwilling companies and should not milk us dry!

Lunguzi, on the other hand, wondered how Malawi has remained underdeveloped 50 years after independence, lamenting that the only shining thing about Malawi was its stamp of poverty. It is a chilling, yet spot-on observation, yet again.

And there is legislator-cum-musician Lucius Banda! He seems to have come back to the august House with new ideas, telling the media the other day that he would not fly higher than the artificial wings of Parliament could permit him, and, this time around, asking members of the public to censure him should he go astray.

That is the way to go.  May be the Balaka musician is set to have his day in the political fields. He should have learned, during those would-have-been years he was no longer MP, that, even in our absence, the world still turns and that, when we have come back to ourselves, we discover that we have developed a greater depth of understanding and a sparkle of understanding that enriches the life of others.

Banda has turned to that old place, Parliament, with a sense of fragile newness. But he does not look at the Parliament building through the lenses of old eyes (after all, the legislators have moved from the old Parliament building that was the New State House and moved to the Chinese-built Parliament); he sees his new world freshly. It is an experience that has the potential to sooth his battered Parliamentary past and makes him an asset in the august House. 

Taming excitement

While the signs, from these early days, are that the legislators have started, somewhat, impressively, they must bear in mind that  being a representative of people with varying degrees of political, cultural, religious and sports affiliations is akin to a soliloquy- one man (use is generic, meaning, man and woman) on a bare stage watched by thousands of over-demanding constituents.

They (the constituents) will merely watch, and not participate, as the lone Parliamentarian stands in the big spotlight that is Parliament and the public broadcaster [MBC television] to tell us why he is there, who he is and what he wants and how he will get it and what it means that he wants it and what it will mean when he does or does not get it.

This is no mean task. It is part personal grandstanding, part theatre, part reality, but largely a political postulation exercise: a lie here, a truth there. Just like that.

But it will be a big mistake if our current crop of legislators falls into the trap of political postulation because, as experience has shown, Malawians are not as shallow-minded as previously thought. That is why they (Malawians) have voted the likes of United Democratic Front (UDF)’s Lilian Patel in (Parliament) again.

As one of the stand-out legislators during the hay days of the UDF, nobody thought her constituents would show her the back-door of Parliament through the ballot. But it happened, to the chagrin of the UDF.

And, again, against all expectations, her constituents have given her yet another chance. The hope, therefore, is that she has learned from experience, and new comers in Parliament can draw lessons from her experience and become representatives of their constituents, and not representatives of themselves.

Of course, it is not wrong to represent oneself; one just needs to strike the proper balance between representing oneself and representing the wishes of those one represents.

However, the issue of whether the new legislators will be able to strike the necessary balance has, meanwhile, been left in the hands of the Court of Time, and, due to case backlog in the Court of Time at the moment, the ruling and judgement are expected five-year time!  

Wanted: bass guitarist-cum-lead vocalist

Granted, it takes collective effort to generate the smoke of fire called music. This applies when one comes up with a song, the arrangement, or track.
In the book, The Poetics of Rock, author Albin Zak defines a song as “melody, harmony and lyrics, the components that can be notated and copyrighted. This is what is traditionally considered to be the ‘composition’; the arrangement as “the specific combination of instruments and singers used to realise the song in the studio”; and the track as “the timbre and space of the recording itself. Recordings can be copyrighted, but they’re separate intellectual property from the song”.
Once in a while, however, there emerges an individual who plays a number of instruments, including the lead, rhythm or bass guitar, while leading the vocals.
While the figure of a rhythm or lead guitarist providing leading or backing vocals has become a common sight in Malawi- bearing in mind the likes of Joseph Tembo, Paul Banda, Synoden Ibu, Collen Ali, among others- one hardly comes across a bass guitarist who strums the strings while playing the role of lead vocalist.
Snap surveys conducted by Weekender in the past five months have revealed that there is no well-known performer who plays the bass guitar while leading the vocals. From Alleluya Band, The Black Missionaries, Malawi Police Orchestra, Mathumela Band, Jupitters Band, Zembani Band, Heath Education Band to Adzukulu Band, the figure of a bass guitarist-cum-lead vocalist is a rarity.
Is this a national crisis?


Rare breed
Gospel musician Sweeny Chimkango suggests that playing the bass guitar while doubling as a lead vocalist is no mean feat, and that only rare breeds successfully execute such a task.
“However, the situation (lack of bass guitarists-cum-lead vocalists) is not only prevalent in Malawi. You will rarely come across multi-talented people who can ably do that the world over. Not that such people do not exist; they do. I have Cameroonian jazz artist Richard Bona in mind,” says Chimkango.
According to the Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians, www.jazz.com, Bona is a bassist who combines the music of his native Cameroon with reggae and jazz to create a personal hybrid.
“His virtuoso technique and smooth sound are reminiscent of Jaco Pastorius, and his playing is often accompanied by his light and airy singing voice,” reads a description of the 47-year-old Cameroonian on the website.
Bona was born on October 28, 1967 in Minta, a small village in Eastern Cameroon, and has performed alongside well-known African musicians such as Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango and Malian singer Salif Keita.
Chimkango says the fact that Bona is appreciated wherever he performs bears testimony that people appreciate his talent.
“I have watched his performances and they leave me lost for words. The guy is multi-talented and it’s not often that you come across such talent,” says Chimkango.
Veteran musician Synoden Ibu acknowledges that it is not often that one comes across a bass guitarist-cum-lead vocalist.
“I play all a range of instruments myself, but I feel at home when playing the rhythm guitar while doubling as a lead vocalist. Otherwise, I have a younger brother, Jameson, who can do that,” says Ibu.


Matter of taste
However, Ibu says not all artists can become bass guitarists-cum-lead vocalists due to a number of factors.
“People learn how to play instruments differently and this determines what they become. Secondly, people have different motivations when joining the music industry and not everyone wants to become a bass guitarist-cum-lead vocalist,” says Ibu.
Veteran musician Joseph Tembo seems to concur with Ibu. He says performers should not only be lauded when they can combine tasks such as playing the bass guitar and serving as lead vocalists.
“First of all, let me say that I used to play the bass guitar while playing the role of lead vocalist at church. So, doubling as bass guitarist and lead vocalist is not as difficult as we would want to portray it. At the same time, we need to realise that talents come in different forms. For example, it is a special gift being the lead singer; just as it is a special gift to be a bassist,” says Tembo.
He adds: “I know some foreign musicians who can play the drums or other instruments while leading the vocals. I have in mind Alick Macheso from Zimbabwe and Awilo Longomba from The Democratic Republic of Congo who used to play the drum before the world discovered that he had a powerful voice.”
Former Alleluya Band leader and music scholar, Charles Sinetre, says he cannot say much about what it takes to be a bass guitarist-cum-lead vocalist because the bass guitar is not his preferred instrument.
“My greatest instrument is my voice. People often forget that the voice, too, is an instrument. But I think it (playing the bass guitar and offering leading vocals) depends on one’s flexibility,” says Sinetre.
Sinetre, who can provide both backing and leading vocals, apart from playing a range of instruments, says every art can be perfected through relentless practice.


Stuck
Musicians Union of Malawi president, Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango, observes that countries such as South Africa are not short of artists who can strum the bass guitar while captivating the audience’s attention with a melodious leading voice.
He cites Joyous Cerebrations, a South African outfit, as one such group.
“So, this is not something that cannot be done. It just takes people who want to become versatile. At the moment, I just feel like many instrumentalists are stuck on [specific] instruments. By this, I mean that people have settled for one set of equipment and decided that that’s what they will pay attention to. In music school, voice is regarded as an instrument, too,” says Mhango.
Mhango backs his point by pointing at a number of local musicians. He says Lulu can play the lead guitar while serving as the lead vocalist, and that Skeffa Chimoto is a vocalist who knows how to play the guitar.
“In gospel music, however, you will find that artists such as Mlaka Maliro, King James Phiri, Allan Chirwa, Ethel Kamwendo Banda are at their best when they are the lead vocalists and others are playing the instruments. So, it depends. It is something to do with choice, other than lack of education,” says Mhango.



Future of the guitar
Ibu says while computer programming threatens to steal the limelight from the guitar, the instrument is billed to remain an integral part of music in the country.
“A lot of people are running away from the guitar but, fortunately, we have a few people who cannot imagine life without the guitar. These are the people who will sustain the legacy of the guitar in the country. It is unfortunate that we rush for the latest technology that is introduced, abandoning things we have held dear for years,” says Ibu.
Balaka-based Sinetre does not feel that the guitar is under threat, too.
“The tendency to use studio software, where musicians depend on keyboard-facilitated bass, can best be described as laziness and childish. I, therefore, see the guitar maintaining its place in music,” says Sinetre, adding:
“The decision to use the guitar or not depends on the genre. In jazz and traditional music, you cannot do without the guitar. In fact, it’s hip hop artists who are relying too much on software. Otherwise, I believe most people still believe in the role of the guitar.”
As computer software continues waging a war against the conventional guitar, Mhango sees a long-drawn draw game.
“All instruments are important, and their use depends on the circumstances,” he says.
It will surely take a great amount of software effort, it seems, to displace the guitar from the stage.

Churches Should Give To Ceasar, Too!

Politics has been one of our major preoccupations, sometimes to the detriment of productive talk.
One consequence of the increased discussion of politics since the marriage between Malawians and politics in 1994 is that significant ideas about religion occasionally become glossed over with the unexamined justification that the Gospel is universal, and spirituality should be left to govern itself.
The consequence: Fear and myopic thinking have quickly replaced careful analysis.
But, the truth be as clear as a cloudless sky, all self-serving religious leaders should be confronted with the inexorable fact that money belongs to Caesar, even if it’s done to achieve a general good, and that, even when generated for God’s purposes, part of it should go back to Caesar.
What am I driving at? Well, that time has come for tithes and funds generated by religious groupings to be taxed!
You see, it’s funny that religious groups, which teach us about how good life shall be beyond the veil of this life, are treated by our governments as if they are already in, eer, for lack of a better word, the heavens.
We all know that the central theme of religious thought and practice is the idea of eternal rest. What the church suggests, subtly of course, is that we all have one general problem: the chance of missing out on eternal rest.
The church, then, cleverly, suggests that the solution to this problem is ‘discovered’ by either getting initiated into religious doctrine so that our souls may be extricated from their self-imposed corruption through spiritual rebirth, or discarding prospects of a good here-after by embracing worldly things.
Predictably, human beings have been hooked to the first option and abandoned rational thinking at the slightest mention of hell. I think the fear of hell has left our policy-makers so thoughtless that they can only watch as some religious groupings become obscenely rich without suggesting that, perhaps, it is high time these institutions started contributing tax to the national pulse.
That is why, I guess, they don’t pay taxes from money generated through tithes and other offerings. The truth, however, is that the religious institutions and Malawi (as a country) are tied together in our awareness of personal existence.
Actually, the heavens and the earth are not two extreme, irreconcilable opposites. The relationship between the two is organic because their focus is on the human being, the very same human being whose main weakness is to go bad when not embalmed.
Our location and the location of the religious institutions are inseparably fused. But I fail to understand why these simple truths are scarcely understandable by us today. By this, I mean our policy-makers.
Come to think of it. Why should a bachelor like me, too resource-whipped to manage a girlfriend, be over-taxed when religious institutions, with their buildings and vehicles and tonnes of funds generated through tithes and other coerced offerings, are left scot-free?
Are our policy-makers so cowardly that, in their fear that they may miss the train to the heavens, they have become blind to the mountain of banknotes piling up in religious institutions?
I think it high time they pulled the brakes on fear and embraced rationality; especially now that religion has become a medium-scale enterprise. Yes, enterprise. There is money in this ‘business’ as evidenced by hordes of Men of God driving fancy cars.
Six years ago, I laughed my lungs out when some church leaders suggested during budget consultation meetings that the government needed to re-introduce duty-free status on vehicles meant for church use. Why should religious organisations get everything for free yet obedience to their doctrines requires followers to contribute in cash and kind?
Your guess is as good as mine.
And there lies our problem. The burden of underdevelopment lies, in large part, on our obedience to fear. We focus too much on the unknown while neglecting the world around us.

REPUBLIC OF MALAWI ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY PROF. ARTHUR PETER MUTHARIKA PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI AT COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BLANTYRE 10 OCTOBER, 2015

REFLECTING THE ACADEME

A time of reflection is a decisive moment. It is a time we commemorate the past, and a time we decide our future. It is a time we put ourselves in the mirror of time, and a time we ask ourselves the deepest questions of our existence.

The title of my address is “Reflecting the Academe”, because I want us to get to the bottom of your well-thought-out theme.

The theme of this occasion is very inspiring – a time for celebration and reflection!

Since it was invented by Africans in 970 AD, the university has always been driven by ideas. Writing in a book called Uses of the University, Clark Kerr

observes that:

The university started as a single community – a community of masters and students. It may even be said to have a soul in the sense of a central animating principle.

Yes, a university must have a soul, its driving principle, the academic spirit. A university grows when this academic spirit grows. A university dies

when its spirit dies. This time of self-reflection must begin with the question: what is the academic spirit that characterizes and identifies us a university?

What are we known for? Or, what must we be known for in the next fifty years? Times have been when University of Malawi was a household name in the region. And we aspire to return those days when our graduates were

accepted without question in leading universities of the world. As Robert Kibbee argues, “The quality of a university is measured more by the kind of students it turns out than the kind it takes in.”

Given both our output and the role played in nation Bbuilding, University of Malawi deserves to be celebrated by all Malawians. Let us agree: this

university has done us a great service, and a great honour! And I believe the best is yet to come.

And we also agree. The University cannot continue to be the same way as it has been. It is only logical to redefine and rebrand ourselves in order to be

relevant to the future. How you do that: the choice is yours.

I am aware of the debate for the autonomy of the colleges to devolve and grow into separate universities. To be a federal system or not to be – that is the question! Decide, manage the decision and take responsibility of the destiny you aspire for.

Government cannot interfere in that debate because we respect your academic integrity and autonomy to make your decisions. The choice is

yours.

All I can say is that our Government is open minded and receptive to informed change. Our Government is not afraid of bringing change to

Malawi. You called for a transformation government, and here it is! We are ready to brave  the decisions this country has always shelved and  deferred. Because that is the only way to make a different Malawi, a better Malawi for all!

That is the only way to change and improve education. Not that there won’t be challenges. There will always be problems in any country at any time because this earth is not in heaven and humans are not angels.

We can only make life better, and we can certainly make Malawi better if we do our best. We cannot say we have a bleak future because we are passing

through challenging times. We cannot say we have a dark year ahead because one night has come before daybreak. Life is made up of days and nights. Likewise, I believe the University has a bright future in spite of the thick mountains of challenges you are crossing. What matters for us is to make

brave choices in deciding our new direction.

Our Government is committed to support the university in creating an environment that is conducive to teaching, learning, researching and

service to community. We will continue to provide cushioning measures to afford all Malawians the  chance to access university education. The Higher

Education Students Loan and Grants facility now allows needy students to apply for tuition fees and upkeep allowances as loan and/or grant.

This policy also supports public universities to finance their services in the spirit of cost-sharing as we move with current trends in higher education globally. This is the time for the change we have always aspired

for.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!

As we move with the changing times, the University needs define itself and find its mission. We must choose what we want to be known for.

Contemporary reflections of a modern university range from being a Teaching University; a Research University; or the Entrepreneurial University – also called the Corporate University.

These conceptual categories are based on the three core functions of

a university, namely, teaching, researching and community service.

Notably, research is at the anchoring centre of the functions of a university. Research is more than  collecting and recycling the scholarly views of

others. Research is about developing new ideas and new knowledge to re-engage those we teach, and the communities we serve, in calibrating new

perspectives and solutions to human situations.

Where this academic culture thrives, we do not publish for the sake of promotion, or to ascend to the professoriate. In the truest spirit of the academe, we do not publish for academic renown. We publish because we value sharing our new ideas, new knowledge, new perspectives and new solutions with the rest of mankind.

This is how academics have lighted mankind’s path of knowledge to wisdom. And celebrated are those who thirst for this sacred duty to mankind. For this is what makes academics celebrated citizens of the world. Let us all be proud of them.

As I have emphasized before, we must celebrate our teachers because “Teaching is the one profession that creates other professions.”

In the spirit of celebration and reflection, ladies and gentlemen, let us all stand up for a moment and clap hands for the academics who have performed

their duty to our society for the last fifty years.

[Standing, hand clapping]

Thank you very much. [Audience sits down]

And I thank you for your attention.

May God bless everyone and Mother Malawi!

MISA Malawi Statement on APM Attack on The edia

For immediate release
Friday, 9 th October 2015

The Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Malawi) is concerned with the remarks made by President Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) against the media during a press conference he addressed at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Thursday, October 8, 2015. During the press conference, the president described the media in Malawi as “irresponsible” and “agents of the opposition” for criticizing his trip to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States of America over the size of his entourage, hiring of a private jet and the level of expenditure incurred in the wake of economic problems prevailing in the country. 

The president even asked for an apology from some media houses over stories on the trip and fell short of specifying what action he would take should the apologies not come forward. As if that was not enough, Mutharika’s Press Secretary Gerald Viola also attacked one unspecified radio station, accusing it of having a hidden agenda against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government. 

We find the remarks by the President and his press secretary retrogressive and a threat to media freedom and freedom of expression. We are surprised that the president decided to target the media with unreasonable attacks instead of responding to the issues at hand and providing information Malawians are looking for regarding the trip to the UNGA. Attacks on the media are attacks on democracy and should not be condoned. MISA Malawi would like to appeal to the President and the State House Press Office to desist from being in the forefront in attacking the media for doing its job. 

The media has a duty to report and inform Malawians on matters of national importance. We believe the President’s concerns could easily be addressed by ensuring that government is proactive in disseminating information and enacting the Access to Information Bill (ATI) and ensure that Malawians have accurate and relevant information to make informed decisions. Secrecy and lack of information, as has been the case with the president’s trip to the UNGA, only creates room for speculation and rumor mongering. 

The trip by the president to the UNGA was funded by tax-payers and Malawians have every right to know how their money is being spent by those charged with the responsibility of managing the resources. And the media has constitutional duty of holding the government accountable in the way they use public funds and how they are governing the country in general.

We therefore appeal to the State President to always be transparent and accountable as he discharges his duties. He should also respect the role of the media in providing checks and balances on his government. Where he has concerns, they can be channeled through relevant media bodies for their review and adjudication. 

The approach taken during the press conference at State House creates an impression that government is taking systematic steps to suffocate the media, thereby strangling our young democracy in the process. That cannot be condoned in a democratic Malawi. 

Signed

THOM KHANJE CHAIRPERSON, MISA MALAWI

Phasing Out of Junior Certificate of Education Examination

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY



PRESS STATEMENT






PHASING OUT OF JUNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology wishes to inform the general public that as part of the ongoing Public Service Reforms, Malawi Government will, from 2016/2017 academic year phase out the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examination. The last JCE examination to be administered will, therefore, be in 2016 for the current Form 2 students. The arguments behind this decision and the way the secondary school education shall be managed are given below:


The Ministry would like all secondary school students to remain in school until they complete Form 4 when they will sit for the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations.  Successful candidates shall be awarded an MSCE Certificate as is the case now while the unsuccessful candidates shall be awarded a Certificate of Completion which will recognize the fact that the owner of the certificate went through and completed secondary education.  The emphasis here is on knowledge, skills and values acquired by secondary school students and not the number of public examinations passed.


It should be understood that the only reason we send children to school is for them to learn and acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes as set out in the curriculum.  Examinations are part of the learning process but are not the main objective of education.


The Ministry would like to promote the practice of continuous assessment from Form 1 through to Form 4 in order for schools to thoroughly cover the Curriculum as opposed to the current practice which is, to a greater extent, examination oriented as both students and teachers focus much on JCE examination results rather than acquisition of knowledge, skills, values  and positive attitudes.  In fact, most of Term 3 of Form 2 is spent on preparing for JCE examinations and not learning for understanding.


In order to promote continuous assessment, the Ministry plans to strengthen the cluster examination system which will be used as part of secondary school teacher development activity and students learning hubs in line with the plans of the Ministry which intends to resource these cluster centres better than is the case currently.  Cluster management teams shall be responsible for setting and marking cluster based examinations within each cluster.  Therefore, instead of having Junior Certificate Examinations, students will sit for Cluster Based Examinations.


Since the Ministry wishes to promote acquisition of knowledge, skills, values and positive attitudes by students as opposed to simply pass examinations, secondary schools shall have the responsibility to encourage students that are struggling with their studies in Forms 1, 2 and 3 to benefit from remedial classes or to repeat the year before proceeding to the next class (Forms 2, 3, 4).


To ensure that the plans outlined above are achieved fully, the Ministry is implementing the National Education Standards for Primary and Secondary Education from September 2015.  The Standards specify expected outcomes for students which should be delivered by all education providers in public and private institutions.


The old secondary school curriculum is being phased out, and a new one has just been rolled out.  The current Form two students will be the last group of the old curriculum to sit for J.C.E.  The phasing out of J.C.E. therefore, is in line with the phasing out of the old curriculum being replaced with the new curriculum where there is emphasis on acquisition of knowledge, skills, values and positive attitudes.


The policy change has the following benefits:


Students will have the opportunity to remain in school from Form one to Form four without hindrance within which period it is expected that they will have acquired useful knowledge and skills of up to the level of senior secondary education. This will give equal opportunities to both girls and boys to reach Form four as the JCE examination negatively affected girls’ education more than boys.
National examinations are used for certification, selection and placement.

Previously, due to insufficient places in Form three, the JCE examination was being used for selection of high performing students (from district schools) in the examination to take up Form three places of students who had failed the examination in National Secondary Schools. The examination is no longer being used for selection. Further, employers, including Government (Civil Service) have set the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) as a minimum entry qualification for employment. As a result, JCE no longer serves its certification purpose.

Government spends a lot of money to administer the examination. Since it is clear that the examination has lost all the three purposes for which examinations are administered, government shall redirect the financial resources to other productive areas.


The Ministry appreciates the concern by the public that removal of the JCE examination might negatively affect learning in schools because students will relax before they are required to sit for the MSCE examination. The Ministry would like to inform and assure the public that in line with its mandate to improve standards of education in the country, the Ministry has developed and launched National Education Standards which focus on continuous assessment.

Through continuous assessment, students will be evaluated in various learning areas to determine knowledge and skills acquired at any particular time. The standards are aligned to the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II and National Education Sector Plan 2008-2017 which emphasise on quality education for all.


The Ministry already has structures and assessment tools in place to monitor students’ progress and give appropriate advice to teachers in areas of improvement through its Directorate of Inspection and Advisory Services (DIAS).


With this information, the Ministry is convinced that the general public will understand and support the reform because the long term benefits far outweigh any perceived shortfalls emanating from the reform.

We Have Faith - Act Now For Climate Justice Campaign Enters Malawi

The We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice pan-African Cycling Campaign enters Malawi from Zambia the morning of Thursday 8th October, 2015. It is made up of nine countries and Malawi is the sixth country to take over the country-to-country relay.

The Campaign brings together faith based organizations, civil society organizations and youth movements from East and Southern Africa aimed at collecting 1 million petitions. The African People’s Petition aims at putting pressure on national, regional and world leaders to urgently act on Climate Change.

The campaign started in Maputo, Mozambique, on 31st August 2015 and has been in five countries which have held main events in their capital cities to raise awareness on the effects of climate change and collect signatures on the petitions. Mozambique, Tshwane in South Africa, Gaborone in Botswana, Harare in Zimbabwe and Lusaka in Zambia have all conducted various activities that have included climate justice marches, city cycling circuits, planting and adopting trees, prayers, performances, and speeches from faith leaders, government officials, and climate ambassadors. From Malawi it proceeds to Tanzania then Kenya. Uganda is also participating.

At Mchinji, the campaign will have clocked approximately 3,048 km, about half of the total 6,500km planned between Maputo and Nairobi.

Locally coordinated by the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) and ACT Forum Malawi, in-country activities include a campaign reception on 8th Oct at Mwami Border/Mchinji Community Ground, a cycling awareness circuit around Lilongwe on 9th October, and a main concert at Silver Stadium on 10th October where faith leaders, youths, CSOs, the corporate sector, and government officials will convene and speeches will be issued.

Fifteen Malawian cyclist will then take the cycling campaign to Kasungu, Jenda, Chikangawa in Mzimba, Mzuzu, Rumphi, and exit from Karonga into Tanzania on 17th October 2015. A Climate Action Week will formulate the campaign climax in Kenya where mass mobilization of people through a major Climate Justice Concert bringing together about 35,000 participants is expected.

In Nairobi there will be a Pan-African Faith Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change, a Pan-African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Change, as well as an African-People’s Conference of Parties (COP) aimed at discussing Climate Change challenges, opportunities, and demands to be discussed at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Paris, France in December.

Goal of the campaign

To strengthen the pan-African/global south voice in efforts to alleviate the impacts of climate change through policy and practice.
Objectives of the campaign

To raise the level of African youth, faith leaders’ and faith communities awareness on the urgency to act now for climate justice.
To lobby African governments to come up with a strong delegation at the COP21 climate negotiations.


Malawi Cyclists

Malawi has put together 14 male and one female cyclists passionate about contributing towards raising climate change awareness. They will kick-start the Malawi leg after receiving petitions from the other the five countries.

During each stop along the route, mini climate justice concerts will be held while faith leaders in churches and mosques will hold climate change awareness campaigns with the Interfaith Climate Justice Weekend slated for 9th October for Muslims, 10th October for Seventh Day Adventists, and 11th October for all other Christians including the Baha’i Faith aimed at strengthening the voice of communities to act on climate change with urgency.

Malawi is expected to collect a total of 100, 000 petitions.

PRESS RELEASE



UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI GOLDEN JUBILEE: SATURDAY 10TH OCTOBER

VENUE: COLLEGE OF MEDICINE SPORTS COMPLEX



The University of Malawi wishes to inform the general public that the Golden Jubilee Celebrations will be held on Saturday, 10th October, 2015 at the College of Medicine Sports Complex from 7.00 a.m.



His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika the President of the Republic of Malawi and Chancellor of the University of Malawi will preside over the celebrations as Guest of Honour.



Five Parades by cohorts of graduates streamlined by a period of a decade from 1965 shall march to the tune of the Police and Malawi Defence Force brass bands from the Mahatma Gandhi Dining Room to the College of Medicine Sports Complex.



Activities at the College of Medicine Sports Complexshall inter-alia include:

 

(a) Floats of scholarly exhibitions by students and lecturers;

(b) Floats of UNIMA alumni and collaboration with society;

(c) Choral displays and traditional dances;

(d) Poetry recitals and drama performances;

(e) A documentary cataloguing the life journey of the University of

     Malawi in its 50 years of existence;

(f) Netball and football matches between UNIMA veterans and the

    students;

(g) Launching the UNIMA flag and University of Malawi Anthem;

(h) Launching the University Magazine in Print, audio & video.



The University Council  appeals to the general public and all UNIMA alumni to fully participate by patronising  this function.



Take note that all alumni who expressed their interest to parade have accordingly been listed and all those wishing to join, please express    your interest by SMS to Peter Mitunda on 0888 120 194.



Alumni taking part in the parade shall buy T-Shirts of the colour of their cohort at K3,200.00 and a Golf Shirt at K6,200.00 or cloth at K1,250 per meter.



The T Shirts are strictly for those taking part in the parade while the Golden Jubilee "Chitenje" is available in all colleges for anybody who is interested to buy and wear or turn it into a cloth.

The cloth can be bought at every college of the University of Malawi including at Lilongwe University of Science and Natural Resources (LUANAR).



T-Shirts will be sold on 9th October, 2015 (a day before the celebration date) at College of Medicine Sports Complex to all members who would like to parade.



For inquiries please contact Peter Mitunda on the following numbers: 01 526 622 / 0111 626 661 / 0888 120 194 / 0991 152 692

OR The University Registrar on universityregistrar@unima.mw

Opening Speech For BRIDGE Training On Delimitation and Elections

Greetings
I am pleased to perform the official opening of this Building Resources In Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) training course on Boundary Delimitation to being held here at Malawi Sun Hotel, Blantyre. At the outset, I would like to warmly welcome the presence of my fellow Commissioners, MEC secretariat, senior leaders of various political parties, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen here present today.

This training is an appropriate undertaking as we prepare for the elections in 2019 with the electoral cycle approach in mind. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, this training could not have come at a better time than this when we are preparing to have a thorough demarcation exercise where we are going to redefine wards and boundaries of all constituencies in the country.

The course will expose us to various practices around the globe. The law gives powers to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to determine the number of constituencies for purposes of elections and to undertake or supervise the demarcation of wards. In the case of constituencies, the overriding criterion is that of ensuring equitable representation as MEC is encouraged to ensure that “constituencies contain approximately equal number of voters eligible to register”.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, other considerations include population density, ease of communication and geographical features and existing administrative areas. For the wards, factors to be considered include population density, geographical features, easy communication and the wishes of the people and the MEC is to ensure that ward boundaries do not cross local authority jurisdictions.

The Constitution states that with regard to constituencies, the review should take place at intervals of not more than five years. Once MEC has reviewed and determined the constituency boundaries, its recommendations are forwarded to Parliament for confirmation. Where Parliament may reject MEC’s recommendations, it (Parliament) cannot alter both the number and boundaries of the constituencies.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, since independence, the constituency boundaries have been altered seven times. The last time boundary delimitation was undertaken was 1998, about 17 years ago. As you would note, this has gone beyond the five-year interval as required by the Constitution. In 2014, the Commission only finalized delimitation of ward boundaries, the process of which had started in 2010. It is apparent, therefore, that the current sizes and number of constituencies and wards do not therefore reflect the basic democratic principles as laid down in the Constitution. In the aftermath of the 2014 Tripartite Elections, the Commission held postmortem meetings in all the 35 councils to hear views of the stakeholders on issues we have to focus on to have a better election in 2019. The need to demarcate and redefine boundaries of constituencies and wards was presented often with vigor, enthusiasm and heartiness. Many participants in these meetings raised issues that constituencies and wards were too big to be serviced by one Member of Parliament or one Councillor as such some areas have been affected in terms of development.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we foresee from the Commission perspective that it will be a mammoth task but we cannot ignore it. We are determined to undertake the process. We are glad that government has allocated K300 million in the current budget for this exercise. We are also courting partners to help the Commission on technical expertise so that we can come with a credible process that will pass all political and legal requirements. We are aware of the political implications of demarcation exercise. Accusations of gerrymandering will always arise more especially when the exercise is conducted closer to elections period where the geopolitical maps become clearer. However, lucky us, we are having this exercise now when no candidate is known for 2019 elections.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we do realise that political parties are key stakeholders in the process of demarcation. They produce the candidates who compete in the elections. That is why we have decided to build your capacity and understanding of the demarcation process through this training. I know you read the electoral laws and you are aware of the legal provisions guiding demarcation processes, but this training will give more than that. We have experienced and knowledgeable facilitators who will take use through the BRIDGE module which is full of rich information and international examples.

We are bound to meet cases or situations in the course of demarcation which the knowledge and skills from this training will be applied. We are definitely going to share some of the issues from the past exercise, we might not have been there but certainly someone was or it has been documented, this is our chance to benefit. Therefore, I urge you to pay attention to whatever will be shared. It is very vital, we will need it on the way to 2019.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commission has of late been getting enquiries from all the corners of the countries especially from sitting elected leaders on the plans MEC has for their areas, more especially if MEC will split their constituencies or not. I should take the opportunity to clarify some issues regarding the process of demarcation. It will be a very consultative process whereby all stakeholders will be involved.

Normally activities are coordinated at council level and relevant stakeholders like council officials, political parties, traditional leaders and civil society organizations including the public directly are engaged. We are aware and we cannot pretend not to know that there is a general feeling among members of the public that some of the constituencies should be split because they are too big with difficult-to-reach patches to be serviced by one MP. This will help the MP to pay proper attention to the needs of the constituents.

Following this line of argument, there should be an increase of the total number of MPs from the current 193. However, there is also another school of thought that says that with the coming in of the councilors, the number of MPs we have now is more than enough and even some constituencies should be merged. If MPs concentrate on their legislative roles then they cannot complain that the constituency is too big. We will have to tread carefully by having a clear formula and guidelines that will help us to have a successful exercise with a sustainable output and also considering the national resource envelop.

I take the opportunity to thank the European Union who have supported the training under the Democratic Governance Programme (DGP). The EU DGP is the biggest supporter to MEC outside the basket fund. We cherish this relation and we pray that it takes us through to 2019. I should also thank my fellow Commissioners, leaders of various political parties and staff from secretariat for availing themselves for this training. My word to you is that BRIDGE requires full participation for you to appreciate the benefits and get the internationally recognized certificate of attendance. May your presence last up to coming Friday.

With these remarks, I declare this BRIDGE training on Boundary Delimitation opened. Please have a successful time.

May God bless you, bless our nation.

Thank you very much

Delivered this day of 5 th October 2015 by Justice Maxon Mbendera SC Chairman, Malawi Electoral Commission

Political parties’ undoing

When history seems to have judged small political parties as poor performers in national elections, it hits one as a surprise that the country’s so-called small political parties remain expert procrastinators. Instead of launching preparations long before the 2019 elections, they have the luxury of engaging the political hibernation gear.

Maybe I should first describe a ‘procrastinator’. According to American humourist Robert Benchley, a procrastinator is described as “anybody who can do any amount of work, so long as it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing”.  

This definition captures the behaviour of the country’s ‘developing’ [the term brief-case or small may sound cruel; too cruel for a democratic state such as ours] political parties very well. They only seem to wake up from their slumber when the Malawi Electoral Commission blows the official campaign whistle and, by which time, it is often too late to garner support and consolidate their position.

Of course, Malawi’s political sphere is too polarised. We all know, or have a faint idea, that, in The Warm Heart of Africa, it is one’s district and region of origin that matters in voting; it’s never about policies or fair judgement.

This notwithstanding, I expected the country’s ‘developing’ political parties to take full advantage of the period in-between elections to roll their drums by endearing themselves to the country’s citizens in a simple, cost-effective way.

Save for Umodzi Party president, John Chisi, who continues to remind Malawians that he is relevant to the country’s development by commenting on a number of issues in the media, the others seem to be on a kind of sabbatical that is not only detrimental to their political aspirations but also counter-productive.

Come to think of it, there are many ways of killing the political rat [meaning, defeating the ruling party; which, of course, is the ambition of every opposition political party, be it established, or ‘developing’] without breaking the bank. The most cost-effective way seems to be the strategic use [abuse?] of the media by commenting on a number of issues [including, as most politicians do, those one is not conversant with], and issuing statements [even on trivia issues] from time to time.

There is also the tried-and-tested practice of attending funerals, weddings, parking one’s car in the middle of a busy road, sweeping the streets, among others.

However, leaders of our ‘developing’ political parties seem to judge everything in terms of the likely costs to be incurred. And there lies the problem!

Of course, the politician’s lot in Malawi is a hard one. There simply are too many expectations pinned on the small shoulders of our politicians. To begin with, representative leaders such as members of Parliament and councillors are looked up to as what others have described as ‘transmission belts’; meaning, people whose principal role is to transmit the wishes of voters into policy action. The fault with this line of thinking is that it disregards the fact that these representative leaders have wishes of their own. Again, the ‘transmission belt’ line of thinking does not consider the fact that, once elected, these officials are given a role to execute their work through their agency, so long as they appreciate the fact that they do their work on trust. It, therefore, does not make sense for them to be seeking the consent of voters every time they need to take action on something.

Apart from shouldering this burden, our politicians also have to deal with dependent constituents who look up to them for everything, including the provision of carrier plastic bags for baby nappies! When someone dies in the ward or constituency, it is councillors and legislators who have to shoulder the burden of buying coffins, finding means of transport and feeding mourners.

So bad is the situation that the same councillors and legislators have to use money meant for development to pay people who take part in community development initiatives. Blame it on politics of hand-outs — that political game introduced and mastered by the once mighty United Democratic Front, perfected by the erstwhile ruling People’s Party, and adored by the Democratic Progressive Party. It seems as if there is no way out of this predicament.

But, if the truth be told, these are not good grounds for ‘developing’ political parties to shy away from politics in-between one national election and another. I know the leaders of the ‘developing’ political parties decide to watch events unfolding from the sidelines because they don’t want to dive into the politics of coffin-buying. They don’t have to.

All they need to do is [to] make their presence felt by, from time to time, saying something that will resonate with the wishes of the people. And, then, we will rid our nation of this vicious cycle of poor electoral performances, a game ‘developing’ political parties seem to have mastered without competitors.