Malawi's Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Ken Lipenga, has said that Africa is a net food importer importing approximately USD 20 billion worth of food annually so it is the hardest hit by rising oil and food prices.
"Transport, energy, water and telecommunication infrastructures in Africa also lag far behind the rest of the world," Lipenga said. It is through these unimpressive prevailing socio-economic conditions of Africa that heads of state and government of the African Union, according to Lipenga, adopted NEPAD as a novel framework for shifting the goalposts of the continent from poverty to prosperity.
The G8 summit in 2002 accepted the NEPAD framework as an innovative framework, which provided a platform for renewed partnership between the West and Africa. NEPAD was also hailed as a timely intervention that is capable of helping the continent meet the global targets of the Millennium Development Goals.
The minister added that seven years down the line, NEPAD remains the only framework which Africa engages with the West on Africa's development. "So far the implementation of the programme in a number of countries across the continent has resulted in a number of successes and challenges," he said.
The stakeholder engagement workshop is also geared towards taking stock of the NEPAD process in Malawi to see how the country has fared in translating the vision of the continent into tangible achievements and where the country has failed.
In Malawi NEPAD has been conceptualised both at policy and project levels and it has been institutionalised into the country's national and sectoral development policies and plans. In the Agricultural sector, Malawi has built its Agriculture Development Programme around the pillars of NEPAD Agriculture Programme known as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and the budgetary allocation of 10 percent is in line with the 2003 NEPAD Maputo Declaration.
Malawi is implementing NEPAD supported projects in fisheries and science and technology and has also forwarded the Agriculture Development Programme and the Shire/Zambezi Waterway project to the NEPAD secretariat for funding.
"We hope NEPAD will aggressively market the projects and secure funding. I urge all countries in Africa to take the Shire/Zambezi project seriously as they will benefit from it and it will reduce transport cost and link all of us," urged Lipenga.
They also mentioned that they hope to deepen the level of engagement in NEPAD issues and develop a plan of action, which will clearly spell out the roles and responsibilities of everybody in order to make NEPAD process to deliver.
"We will also deepen the level of understanding of how NEPAD processes work so that all of us can prepare bankable projects, which can be successfully marketed by NEPAD and we will also expedite further modalities for integration in NEPAD issues both and the nation and continental levels," according to Lipenga. The minister was hopeful that the outcomes of the Malawi workshop and other countries where NEPAD national stakeholders' workshops have been conducted will be forwarded to the summit of Head of State and AU for consideration.
He lamented that Africa is working hard, but have not yet succeeded in implementing value adding programmes and initiatives and that there is evidence that efforts put in place to fight hunger and poverty are tangible and urged African countries to face the challenges and tackle the problem of rising oil and food prices.
NEPAD deputy chief executive officer, Hesphina Rukato, on the other hand, said Africa is rich in resources, but the challenge lies with their mobilisation towards achieving rapid economic growth and she was happy that many countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa subscribe to the ideals of NEPAD.
The workshop is held at a time when Malawi has just joined NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as part of the four countries representing the Southern African region. The region has until July 2008 been represented by Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Angola.
The AU summit of the member states of January 2008 decided that in order to widen ownership and leadership of NEPAD among AU members, it would be necessary to put in place a system by which member states to the HSGIC would rotate every two years and the principle of rotation was effected at the just ended 11th AU Assembly in Egypt. The new membership in Southern Africa includes Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. Journalists from South Africa, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Tanzania attend the workshop.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Learning in English: An uphill struggle
If your lesson's a bit boring at Nansato Primary School, look out of the window. To the west are the flat scrubby plains of the Rift Valley stretching out endlessly across Southern Malawi. A child sitting on the other side of the classroom sees something very different. Rising out of the maize-fields as if from nothing, the sheer rock face of Mulanje Mountain surges to the heavens and is encircled by clouds. 'Mulanje' means 'Island in the sky' and its highest peak, 'Sapitwa' translates simply as 'Don't go there!'
The teacher won't need visual aids for this lesson, on the mountains of Southern Africa. Star pupil Maxwell answers his first question: "Sir, Kilimanjaro is located in Kenya." The teacher runs over the next few – the Drakensburg, Mount Kenya, Ruwenzori. The class is doing well. He comes to 'Mulanje' and decides to have a bit of fun. "Where is Mulanje Mountain located?" he asks with rather overstated seriousness. Hands pop up around the classroom. Everybody gets the joke and the teacher grins broadly. He asks again, and by now every hand is up, as high as they can reach, except Muliya, one of the quieter girls in the class. She waits blankly to write down the answer when it comes.
"Muliya," the teacher asks playfully, "where is Mulanje Mountain located?" Muliya does not meet his eye, does not acknowledge the question. The teacher points out of the window, straight at Mulanje: "Where is Mulanje Mountain located?" Still, Muliya is blank and all the finger pointing just makes her more confused. Eventually she concedes "I don't know" and the whole class erupts into laughter.
The teacher isn't laughing. For the last year he has been teaching Muliya and her 45 classmates in preparation for their secondary school entrance exams, the most significant academic tests they will ever sit. He has taught them Maths, Agriculture, Science, Social Studies and English – all taught and examined in English. The only subject not taught in English is Chichewa, the local language. Muliya might not be the brightest in the class, but her inability to answer such an easy question is worrying. Her spoken English is limited to very basic phrases and her written ability in the language is scarcely better.
Faced with an exam in English, Muliya, and probably around 70% of her classmates, will answer the paper using a range of techniques from basic word association to simple guesswork, mentally selecting small passages of memorised textbook and providing these as answers, almost at random. One mock-exam candidate in the same class, asked to name three political parties in Malawi, listed "maize, cassava and groundnuts". Sure, the pupil had probably been told all about Malawi's political parties, but maybe nobody told him, in Chichewa, what a political party actually is.
In actual English lessons, the pupils are being taught rudimentary vocabulary and grammar, yet after break they are expected to learn about Malawi's complex colonial history when it is explained to them only in English. Enough will put in the effort needed to memorise all the facts and regurgitate them effectively on exam day to tell the government that this generation knows all about Sir Harry Johnstone and his chums, but, like so much of the Malawian education system, the kids themselves will be none the wiser as a result.
This language barrier, which stands in every classroom in the country, is an utterly pernicious influence, eating away at an education system which cannot afford inefficiencies. Everything a Malawian child learns in school is important – for most, an education is the only valuable thing they will ever have been given – but some stuff is critical. Because of the looming exams, the kids learn about crop rotation, irrigation and commercial farming in English. Every child in the class is from a family of subsistence farmers.
In a country where famine is a persistent threat, where everyone still bleaches their maize in the sun (drying out most of the nutrients), where most commercial farming remains a whites-only activity and where most local farmers rely on a single crop cycle when they could manage three with the right irrigation, it might just be better if kids were taught about agricultural techniques in a language that they could understand. The irony of these classes is that the only children who actually understand the ideas will be the ones who will learn their way out of subsistence farming.
It's when it comes to sex education and Aids awareness that the problem is really alarming. Imagine a British pupil learning about the birds and the bees – in French. Now inflate Britain's HIV/Aids prevalence well past 25% and you might start to understand the peril into which Malawi is casting its new generation and its greatest hope.
Amongst the UN Millennium Development Goals are the noble aims of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, combating HIV/Aids and ensuring environmental sustainability. It seems inconceivable that Malawi can fulfil the UN's promise while its schoolchildren continue to be baffled by the education system.
At Nansato Primary school there are always a lot of raised hands offering answers. What you will never see is a hand raised with a question, even the most basic – "I don't understand, Sir, can you explain that bit again?" The result is an endemic willingness, amongst teachers and pupils alike, to accept that most of the children will be unable to grasp the majority of what they are taught. Malawian children need to be given a voice – their own, Chichewa voice – if they are ever going to be able to ask the right questions.
The teacher won't need visual aids for this lesson, on the mountains of Southern Africa. Star pupil Maxwell answers his first question: "Sir, Kilimanjaro is located in Kenya." The teacher runs over the next few – the Drakensburg, Mount Kenya, Ruwenzori. The class is doing well. He comes to 'Mulanje' and decides to have a bit of fun. "Where is Mulanje Mountain located?" he asks with rather overstated seriousness. Hands pop up around the classroom. Everybody gets the joke and the teacher grins broadly. He asks again, and by now every hand is up, as high as they can reach, except Muliya, one of the quieter girls in the class. She waits blankly to write down the answer when it comes.
"Muliya," the teacher asks playfully, "where is Mulanje Mountain located?" Muliya does not meet his eye, does not acknowledge the question. The teacher points out of the window, straight at Mulanje: "Where is Mulanje Mountain located?" Still, Muliya is blank and all the finger pointing just makes her more confused. Eventually she concedes "I don't know" and the whole class erupts into laughter.
The teacher isn't laughing. For the last year he has been teaching Muliya and her 45 classmates in preparation for their secondary school entrance exams, the most significant academic tests they will ever sit. He has taught them Maths, Agriculture, Science, Social Studies and English – all taught and examined in English. The only subject not taught in English is Chichewa, the local language. Muliya might not be the brightest in the class, but her inability to answer such an easy question is worrying. Her spoken English is limited to very basic phrases and her written ability in the language is scarcely better.
Faced with an exam in English, Muliya, and probably around 70% of her classmates, will answer the paper using a range of techniques from basic word association to simple guesswork, mentally selecting small passages of memorised textbook and providing these as answers, almost at random. One mock-exam candidate in the same class, asked to name three political parties in Malawi, listed "maize, cassava and groundnuts". Sure, the pupil had probably been told all about Malawi's political parties, but maybe nobody told him, in Chichewa, what a political party actually is.
In actual English lessons, the pupils are being taught rudimentary vocabulary and grammar, yet after break they are expected to learn about Malawi's complex colonial history when it is explained to them only in English. Enough will put in the effort needed to memorise all the facts and regurgitate them effectively on exam day to tell the government that this generation knows all about Sir Harry Johnstone and his chums, but, like so much of the Malawian education system, the kids themselves will be none the wiser as a result.
This language barrier, which stands in every classroom in the country, is an utterly pernicious influence, eating away at an education system which cannot afford inefficiencies. Everything a Malawian child learns in school is important – for most, an education is the only valuable thing they will ever have been given – but some stuff is critical. Because of the looming exams, the kids learn about crop rotation, irrigation and commercial farming in English. Every child in the class is from a family of subsistence farmers.
In a country where famine is a persistent threat, where everyone still bleaches their maize in the sun (drying out most of the nutrients), where most commercial farming remains a whites-only activity and where most local farmers rely on a single crop cycle when they could manage three with the right irrigation, it might just be better if kids were taught about agricultural techniques in a language that they could understand. The irony of these classes is that the only children who actually understand the ideas will be the ones who will learn their way out of subsistence farming.
It's when it comes to sex education and Aids awareness that the problem is really alarming. Imagine a British pupil learning about the birds and the bees – in French. Now inflate Britain's HIV/Aids prevalence well past 25% and you might start to understand the peril into which Malawi is casting its new generation and its greatest hope.
Amongst the UN Millennium Development Goals are the noble aims of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, combating HIV/Aids and ensuring environmental sustainability. It seems inconceivable that Malawi can fulfil the UN's promise while its schoolchildren continue to be baffled by the education system.
At Nansato Primary school there are always a lot of raised hands offering answers. What you will never see is a hand raised with a question, even the most basic – "I don't understand, Sir, can you explain that bit again?" The result is an endemic willingness, amongst teachers and pupils alike, to accept that most of the children will be unable to grasp the majority of what they are taught. Malawian children need to be given a voice – their own, Chichewa voice – if they are ever going to be able to ask the right questions.
Celtic sign Malawian star
Bloemfontein Celtic believe they found their missing link when they signed Malawi playmaker Fischer Gondwe joined from relegated Black Leopards yesterday.
Phunya Sele Sele spokesman Petros Augousti confirmed that the Malawi international midfielder would join left back Ditheko Mototo as the two newcomers to Celtic for the new season.
Said Augousti: “We are excited about signing Gondwe. He is a top class player and we are going to be looking to him to do the business in the midfield during the coming season. He is a top notch player and we are delighted he decided to join us.”
Gondwe was one of Leopards outstanding players. He is 25 and coming into his prime and should blossom under new Celtic coach Mich D’Avray.
He is an ideal replacement for Lebogang Mothibantwa who joined Orlando Pirates earlier this month. His signing will also help alleviate the loss of another midfielder Ntokozo Sikhakhane who was placed on transfer by the club.
Gondwe is set to make his Celtic debut in a one day tournament being played at Kimberley’s Absa Park on Sunday. Celtic play Ajax Cape Town at noon and the winner will meet either Premier Soccer League champions SuperSport United or Free State Stars who meet in the other semifinal.
The final kicks off at 4pm.
Augousti said that the club were delighted with the progress made by new D’Avray who they captured from leading Australian outfit Perth Glory.
He added; “We are looking to sign a few more quality players before the start of the new season next month.”
Phunya Sele Sele spokesman Petros Augousti confirmed that the Malawi international midfielder would join left back Ditheko Mototo as the two newcomers to Celtic for the new season.
Said Augousti: “We are excited about signing Gondwe. He is a top class player and we are going to be looking to him to do the business in the midfield during the coming season. He is a top notch player and we are delighted he decided to join us.”
Gondwe was one of Leopards outstanding players. He is 25 and coming into his prime and should blossom under new Celtic coach Mich D’Avray.
He is an ideal replacement for Lebogang Mothibantwa who joined Orlando Pirates earlier this month. His signing will also help alleviate the loss of another midfielder Ntokozo Sikhakhane who was placed on transfer by the club.
Gondwe is set to make his Celtic debut in a one day tournament being played at Kimberley’s Absa Park on Sunday. Celtic play Ajax Cape Town at noon and the winner will meet either Premier Soccer League champions SuperSport United or Free State Stars who meet in the other semifinal.
The final kicks off at 4pm.
Augousti said that the club were delighted with the progress made by new D’Avray who they captured from leading Australian outfit Perth Glory.
He added; “We are looking to sign a few more quality players before the start of the new season next month.”
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