By Mphatso Nkuonera, PRO

Ministry of Education has officially launched Batch 17 of the School Leadership Training Programme (SLP) today at the Malawi Sun Hotel in Blantyre, gathering 187 school leaders from across the country to enhance their skills and improve educational outcomes.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Principal Secretary Responsible for Basic Education, Dr. Rachel Chimbwete Phiri emphasised the importance of this training within the framework of the Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP).

"The main objective of MERP is to improve the learning environment for students in lower primary across all government schools," she stated.

This batch of training aims to support a general objective of training 10,200 school leaders from all 34 education districts in Malawi, encompassing 7,800 headteachers and deputy headteachers, 2,000 female section heads, and 400 primary education advisors and inspectors.

Since the implementation of the SLP in November 2022, under the partnership of the Ministry of Education, the School of Education of the University of Malawi, and the Malawi Institute of Education, a total of 10,165 school leaders have already completed the programme across 16 batches. These numbers include 7,613 headteachers and deputy headteachers, which leaves a shortfall of 187 that this batch aims to address.

Conversely, the programme exceeded its target for female section heads, with 2,279 trained instead of the planned 2,000.

To foster gender equity in leadership roles, the Ministry has ensured that the majority of participants in Batch 17 are female headteachers and deputy headteachers, representing various education districts, including Chitipa, Karonga, Mzimba South and North, Nkhata Bay, Blantyre Urban and Rural, Chikwawa, Mwanza, and Nsanje.

Training sessions are being conducted across several locations: Malawi Sun Hotel, AAUCHA. Training sessions are being conducted across several locations: Malawi Sun Hotel, AAUCHA Lodge in Mzuzu, Tulipoka Lodge in Chitipa, and St Kizito Conference Centre in Chitipa.

Chimbwete outlined key objectives of the SLP, which include: promoting positive and inclusive school cultures for vulnerable children, improving teachers' morale and performance .#Education IsKey.