150 Youths to Benefit from Community Based Vocational Skills Project
By Chimwemwe Chisi
There are high hopes that socio-economic lives for the youths in Karonga Diocese are likely going to be elevated following a week-long capacity building initiative for the mentors who are expected to discharge a six months vocational training lessons with the youths under Community Based Vocational Skills Development project for the youths.
The development comes following a joint training initiative championed by Education Desk of Karonga Diocese in collaboration with Technical Entrepreneurial Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) held at Karonga Town Council Chamber which was aimed at equipping mentors with skills and knowledge for training youths.
The project mainly targets young people from violence prone areas of Karonga and part of Rumphi as a way of promoting peaceful coexistence. The project aims at improving the lives of young people in Karonga District and Chiweta in Rumphi District by reducing youth unemployment as they will employ themselves after the training.
Expressing her gratitude, Regional Manager for TEVETA Concepor Kachoka said their office was overjoyed with initiative of Karonga Diocese to partner with them in order to assist in the project they have embarked. She pledged continued support from her office.
She continued by urging the youths who are expected to participate in the training to take the lessons seriously since it is the gate way to their economic independence.
In his remarks, the Field Officer for Education Desk of Karonga Diocese Solomon Manda revealed that the initiative was conceived by Bishop Martin Annuel Mtumbuka of Karonga Diocese to curb the political manipulation of the youths in perpetuating violence in various areas of Karonga.
Manda said, “In the process of denouncing the use of the youth in inflicting violence in the district, we thought it wise to equip the trainers so that as they go to their designated areas they should deliver accordingly.”
According to the Desk, the project is being implemented in five areas, namely Pusi-Chakwera, Chiweta, Mpata, Mwenilondo and Mwanjabala and will benefit 150 youths.
The project is being implemented with financial support from the German dioceses of Bamberg and Frieberg to the tune of thirty three million Malawi Kwacha.
Umoza Na Malawi Donates 15 Computers to St Annie’s and Ngala CDSSs
By Maureen Soko
As one way of uplifting education standards in community day secondary schools (CDSSs) under the Diocese of Karonga, the diocese’s partners from Germany, through the Umoza na Malawi Project has donated 8 and seven desktop computers to St Annie’s and Ngala CDSSs, respectively.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Director of Umoza na Malawi, Madam Elisabeth Maasjost, says she is impressed by the students inspiration.
“It was nice to be here with them. I am very much impressed since they look much motivated and I believe they will make good use of these computers and they will succeed in their education.” Said Madam Maasjost.
She added that computers simplify things as most of them can be done by computers hence saving time and resources.
The partners promised to continue supporting the diocese in the education sector.
On his part, the Education Desk Officer for the Diocese of Karonga, Mr Remmie Kamanga says the aid will help to reduce the challenges the schools are facing.
According to him, the schools are having shortages of books and other learning resources which retard progress.
Mr Kamanga says the insufficient support from the government suppresses the effectiveness of the schools.
“These schools depend on the community for its operations since it receives very little support from the government,” said Mr Kamanga.
On the other hand, both head teachers of St Annie’s and Ngala CDSSs are appreciative of the partners through, Father Dr Steve Bulambo and the diocese for choosing their schools. They appeal for other well-wishers to come and appealing to all well-wishers to come into their aid.
The students of both schools enthusiastically thank for the donations and promise to use the computers effectively towards their education.
Not only shall the students use the computers efficiently but also take good care of them to avoid compromising the needs of the future generation.
The event was also attend by group village headmen led by the Principal Village Group Headman Mponera.
Poems, dialogues and Traditional dances performed by both students and villagers spiced up the ceremony.
Umoza na Malawi Project aims at supporting the needy students from Kasantha in their secondary and tertiary education. However, it also reaches out if opportunities arise.
Miracle Technical Institute Holds 17th Graduation Ceremony
By Maureen Soko
The 105 graduating students from Miracle Technical Institute in Karonga District have been advised to utilize the skills they have gained in order to make a difference.
The board chairperson for Miracle Technical Institute Father Mike Jun made the call on Thursday at the 17th graduation ceremony.
Father Jun said acquisition of the certificate alone is not the end of road but the impact they will make.
Father Jun advised the graduating students to be resilient when they face challenges, to be creative and be of high integrity since they are coming from an institution which emphasizes Christian values.
Furthermore, he advised the graduates not to wait for someone to help them but start using entrepreneurial skills they have acquired to develop their own businesses.
Concurring with Father Jun, District Commissioner of Karonga Mr. Richard Hara, who was the guest of honour at the function, said the students should consider going into entrepreneurship.
“We are advising you to consider going into entrepreneurship so that you can help in creating jobs for the jobless. We want you to demonstrate the skills you have acquired in your companies,” said Hara
Most of the trades you have trained in do not require intensive capital. What is needed is to change mindset. You need to change the mentality that when you have finished school you have to be employed,” added Hara.
Richard Hara also hailed the school’s initiative in training the youth in vocational skills, saying it is in line with government’s development plans that seek to equip the youth with various skills to develop the country.
In his remarks, the Director of Miracle Technical Institute, Bro Pacharo Mfune hailed the cordial relationship which exists between the college and TEVETA which dates back to 2005, when the institute was accredited.
Out of the 105 graduates, 51 have attained qualifications in technical courses while 54 underwent training in commercial courses.
Education Desk Reviews Promotion of English Speaking Project
By Solomon Manda
The Education Desk of the Diocese of Karonga held a review and planning meeting of ‘The Promotion of English Speaking among Sunday School Children’ project on 15th June, 2018 at Bambo Zutu House to evaluate the progress made in the first year of implementation. The project targets early grade learners with the aim of improving their mastery of English language.
The meeting attracted the following key stakeholders in the implementation of the project; priests and catechetical methodology advisors (CMAs) from parishes taking part in the project namely St Michael’s, St Steven’s and St Joseph the Worker Cathedral. Other participants were the Caritas Secretary, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Tuntufye FM Radio Director and the host, Education Desk Officer.
The discussion focused on lessons learnt in the first year of implementation in terms of what went on very well and what did not go well. Priests and Catechetical Methodology Advisors reported on the progress of the project in their areas and possible challenges.
Participants then reflected on possible models for implementing the interventions of the project and settled for an approach which does not overburden primary school teachers and Sunday school instructors by using the expertise of retired Catholic teachers to pass on English speaking skills to children in a more systematic and consistent way. These will directly report to the CMA’s.
In two groups, participants brainstormed on activities that would add value to the implementation of the project in the second year of implementation. Thus the second year will encourage activities such as capacity building of all stakeholders, competitions and exchange visits, classification of learners according to age, provision of teaching and learning materials among others.
English speaking project is a five year project, which is being implemented with support of the Coppel Family of Mexico who also support the Sunday School Project and Lusubilo Orphan Care.
Education Desk Administers Catholic National Secondary School Entrance Examinations
By Solomon Manda
The Education Desk of the Diocese of Karonga administered the 2018 Catholic National Examinations on the Saturday, 26th of May, 2018 in all its respective parishes. A total of 412 candidates sat for the examinations.
Two primary school teachers and one secondary teacher were deployed to administer the examinations as invigilator and supervisor respectively. The exercise went on well in all centres and answer sheets were collected and sent to the Education Desk office.
The exams were distributed to parishes on 24 May for all parishes in Karonga Deanery and on 25th for all parishes in Chitipa Deanery. For Karonga Deanery the exams were distributed by Philip Chisi and Solomon Manda whereas in Chitipa Deanery the exams were distributed by Thomas Chauzuka Nyondo and Solomon Manda. The distribution exercise was successful, no inconvenience was encountered. The examinations were under the custodian of the parish priests.
On the 2nd of June, 2018, the marking exercise commenced at St Mary’s Girls Primary School. Each parish sent two markers identified by Methodology Advisors in their respective parishes. By 9am the marking exercise was in progress. Despite the pressure on the markers, by 6pm the marking and entering of results had come to its completion.
The final standardized results will be announced in due course.
Education Desk Orients School Governing Bodies to Help Children Read and Write
By Lonely Paul Mwandira (CMA St Michael’s)
The Education Desk of Karonga Diocese dedicated a better part of the month of April to orient community education governing bodies in Karonga and Chitipa on their roles in mobilizing parents to help their children develop literacy skills.
The orientation sessions which started on 3rd and ended on 21st April, 2018 took place in eleven Teacher Development Centres across Chitipa and Karonga. This is an initiative under the National Reading Programme which aims at improving the reading skills in children from standard 1 to 4 with the funding from USAID through RTI.
The Education Desk target is to mobilize school governing bodies to support children in acquiring reading skills which is the second component of the programme. The activity targeted community structures especially School Management Committees (SMCs), Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs) and Mother Groups (MGs) from 116 primary schools across Chitipa and Karonga districts.
According to the Education Desk Officer, Mr. Remmie Kamanga, the aim of the training is to mobilise the communities to take a leading role in helping children develop reading skills.
Mr. Kamanga said according to the statistics many Malawian learners in the first four classes are unable to read and those who read are not fluent in the same. The project, therefore, encourages parents to act as major role players in ensuring that their children are able to read and write.
Trained participants thanked the Desk for helping them realize that it is their responsibility to help their children learn how to read and write.
Kaseye Girls Shine in MAWU Awards
By Lonely Mwandira (Methodology Advisor St Michael’s parish)
It was all smiles when Twambilire Ng’ambi was named the overall winner in the Malawi Writer’s Union (MAWU) Northern Chapter short story writing competition for secondary school students.
The competition was organized by the union as part of its efforts in promoting reading and writing culture in the country. Speaking during the ceremony hosted by Mzuzu University (Mzuni), chairperson of the organizing committee, Mashallo Samilo, expressed concern over the dwindling interest in creative writing in the country.
“It is a concern that this is the status quo despite an enabling environment for writers since multiparty democracy,” he said. Samilo said this is one of the reasons MAWU sought sponsorship to conduct the competition.
“A Better World, is well written story. It gives insight into the central character’s troubled mind with such honesty that one can relate with her and her abusive past,” said Wesley Macheso in praise of the winning story. Macheso is a lecture in literature and creative writing at Mzuzu University.
The story writing competition was sponsored by Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) to the tune of K150 000.00.
The event was graced by Mzuzu City Council Deputy Mayor Alexander Mwakikunga, who encouraged students to write and read more to improve themselves and the world around them.
Twambilire went away with MAWU certificate of recognition, copy of Wesley Macheso’s young adult novel, and cash prize worth Forty Thousand Kwacha. The second prize winner was Chisomo Katchere from Mzuzu Government Secondary School and the third prize went to Tamika Chavinda from Mzuzu International Academy.
The young star from Kaseye is in form three, her dream is to shake shoulders with lecturers at College of Medicine where she desires to be a neurosurgeon. Despite being the better material for the Language Department, the 15 year old star said she is also doing well in sciences to make her dream come true.
Chaminade Awards its Staff for Star Performance in 2017 MSCE
By Education Desk
The Board of Governors of Chaminade Secondary School has today, the 20th of January 2018 awarded all workers of the school for the prowess demonstrated through the colourful 2017 MSCE results.
During the ceremony, the Diocesan Education Desk Officer, Mr Remmie Kamanga commended the school for the steady progress in producing excellent MSCE results. He said that this is a clear manifestation of unity, cooperation and commitment of all players in the school, more especially among teaching staff, none teaching staff and students.
He emphasized that each of the three parties are playing a key role in the success of the school. In a special way he thanked the board of governors for their guidance and the Marianist Brothers for their managerial and financial support. He pledged total support from the Diocese at all times. The board chairperson, Mr Kayange, concurred with the Education Desk Officer and gave a summary of results for the past three years as in the table below:
| Year | No Sat | No Passed | Pass %age |
| 2012 | 86 | 84 | 98 |
| 2013 | 95 | 93 | 98 |
| 2014 | 84 | 83 | 99 |
| 2015 | 84 | 84 | 100 |
| 2016 | 79 | 78 | 99 |
| 2017 | 119 | 118 | 99 |
Chaminade Secondary School is known for its high standards of discipline, spirituality and academics. The school has been a star performer for the past six years in the Northern Education Division and one of the best in the country. Issues of riots, strikes, dropouts, absenteeism and other forms of indiscipline do not have a place at the school. Teachers of the school are well qualified and very hard working.
The awards were in form of monetary tokens which were determined by level of involvement for all staff and individual performance in one’s subject for the teaching staff. The one who produced the highest number of distinctions got the highest amount of money. In the 2017 MSCE results, the highest performing teacher was Mr. Mkandawire, who produced 77 distinctions in Mathematics.
These awards among others are given to employees of the school, both teaching and none teaching staff every year for their good performance. This is a good source of motivation to these employees to work even harder. This is why the school’s performance improves each and every year.
700 Candidates Attempt Form One Entrance Examinations at Zone Level
By: Ignatius Mvula and Remmie Kamanga
The Education Department of the Diocese of Karonga administered preliminary examinations for entry to form one for the academic year 2018/19 in Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese.
The examinations were prepared by the department and administered in all parishes at zone level under the coordination of Methodology Advisors who are education officers in the parishes. The examination took place on Saturday 13th January, 2018 and drew over 700 learners in all the 9 parishes of the Diocese.
The paper was a blend of various subjects like Mathematics, English, Religious Education and General Studies. The successful candidates at pastoral zone level will the sit for another examination which will be at parish level then will take a final paper at national level. This is a formal process of selecting learners to start Form One 1 in Catholic secondary schools.
The process is very important as it is so far the best criterion for identifying deserving learners to start secondary education. Candidates sitting for these examinations prepare very well with the assistance of teachers, hence, the stiff competition to secure a place at secondary school.
Catholic secondary schools are renowned for their excellence in holistic education which takes care of academic, spiritual, physical and moral growth of a child. This is why every parent would want his or her ward to go to a Catholic school. Many learners too vie for these schools to attain sound education.
Karonga Diocese boasts of Chaminade Secondary School, Kaseye Girls Secondary School, St Ignatius Loyola Secondary School and also St Monica Community Day Secondary School, Ngara Community Day Secondary School, St Anne’s Community Day Secondary school and Fulirwa Community Day Secondary School. Chaminade Secondary School, for example, has taught so many boys who are now in great leadership positions in Malawi.
Education Desk Promoting English Speaking among Sunday School Children
By Lonely Paul Mwandira (Methodology Advisor)
Sunday school children in St. Michael’s Parish now have an opportunity to improve their English speaking skills, thanks to the new project called “Promotion of English Speaking Skills among Sunday School Children”.
The project, which seeks to improve English proficiency among early grade learners, is exposing Sunday school children to activities performed in English. The project has introduced English Speaking Clubs in selected primary schools where children interact in English through reading and speaking after normal school hours. In these clubs, they also recite poems, conduct debates on child centered topics, panel discussions on catechism, spelling bees, storytelling and others.
The project has also organized competitions in poetry and Bible verse recitals in English. Children will compete in clubs and during other Sunday school activities like quiz competition.
In view of the tasks involved, the Education Desk of the Diocese of Karonga oriented teachers and Sunday school instructors on English teaching and learning skills and English catechism mastery late last year at Mubanga, in Chitipa District.
Speaking during the official induction ceremony, Mr. Remmie Kamanga, the Education Desk Officer, said the project gives an opportunity for children to read and speak English which would result into mastery of the language.
“If our young boys and girls do master the English language they will easily understand academic work in class, hence, excel in education” voiced Kamanga.
In order to reach out to more children, Tuntufye FM Radio will be producing and broadcasting children’s stories in English through radio drama.
Speaking at the outset of the orientation exercise, Parish Priest for St Michael’s Parish, Father Charles Chinula, thanked the Education Desk Officer for considering his parish in the pilot phase.
The induction targeted teachers of Mubanga Primary School, where the English club has been introduced, and Sunday school instructors of Mubanga Prayer Centre where English Catechism lessons have been introduced. The project is being sponsored by the Coppel’s Family.