Dowa Council approves revolutionary Tisamale Mabuku project

Dowa District Executive Committee (DEC) has on Tuesday approved a project dubbed Tisamale Mabuku Project, which aims to empower communities and the civil society in taking an active role in protecting Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs).

Speaking in an interview, Dr. Bright Sibale, a team member of the Tisamale Mabuku Project, said the TLMs include teacher guides, learners books, and Student Records Management systems amongst others.

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“The project has three focus areas; it is a project that aims to galvanize or mobilize stakeholders to contribute to management and utilization of National Reading Program TLMs in Malawian public primary schools, by taking an active and sustainable role in ensuring oversight, transparency, and accountability.

“The project basically has three focus areas, firstly, to invest in community mobilization to ensure improved management, accessibility and utilization of TLM data for decision making and also sensitizing the general public through public awareness campaigns,” he said.

He added that through the project, which is a two-year project running from October 2024 to October 2026, with US$ 4 million funding from USAID, they hope books will last longer in schools, and there will be mentality change in protecting TLM resources.

“The project will also activate school community management groups, including School Management Committees, Parent Teacher Associations, and Mothers Groups, to co-create sustainable solutions for improved TLM management, replenishment, and use that are owned by participants and reflect local contexts,” he said.

To select schools, the project looked at availability of TLMs, utilization of School Improvements Grant, functionality of local school governance structures amongst others.

In Dowa, the project will be implemented in 44 schools in four zones namely, Chibwata, Chimbili, Mponela and Mvera.

Speaking during a DEC meeting, Director of Youth, Sports and Education Christopher Kumikundi said the project comes at the right time.

“The general scenario in the district and nationwide is that TLMs are in short supply. The expected ratio is one book against one leaner in any subject which is currently not the case because of various challenges.

“For example, books are expensive and hence are in short supply. There is also an increase in enrollment hence a mismatch between numbers of learners and books. Also care of books has not been good resulting into loss of books before reaching their lifespan,” said Kumikundi.

He as such said the coming in of the project, which even though is not purchasing any books, is timely for the district as it will help in empowering structures on how best they can protect the available resources in the schools.

The project is being implemented is six districts, one in every education district. These are Rumphi, Zomba urban, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Lilongwe rural west and Dowa.