BEFIT TO IMPROVE LEARNING OUTCOMES

By Michael Martin/Malawi//

Headteacher for Mbabzi Primary School in Lilongwe, Telesa Thamangila Sopo says she believes that the introduction of the Building Education Foundation Through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) Programme at their school will foster a more educated community, since the initiative will provide more learners with essential foundational skills in education, enhancing their success throughout their academic careers.

She made the remarks on Tuesday at the teacher training on the BEFIT Programme ahead of the rolling out of the programme at their school.

Sopo expressed optimism that the introduction of tablet-based learning will alleviate learning poverty, as it will help learners in Standards 1 to 4 develop their literacy and numeracy skills.

“With this program, we anticipate that learners who dropped out of school will return, drawn in by the tablets. Additionally, we expect to reduce absenteeism, as learners will be reluctant to miss out on using the tablets,” Sopo said.

The Headteacher said as a leader of this school, she will ensure that all teachers fully adopt the technology-based learning.

She praised the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for the training on BEFIT Programme, highlighting that the training provided to all teachers at the school means that if a designated teacher is absent, any other teacher can effectively conduct the lessons for that day.

Ministry of Education Public Relations Officer, Mphatso Nkuonera said the government is dedicated to reducing learning poverty, which is why the BEFIT Programme is being implemented nationwide, aiming to reach all 6,000 public primary schools by 2029.

He mentioned that in schools, where the BEFIT Programme is being implemented, absenteeism has decreased, and there has been an improvement in literacy and numeracy among students who are now accustomed to interactive tablet-based learning. He noted that schools like Mbabzi are expected to see similar results.