Communities surrounding Vumo Primary School in Chitipa are constructing three teacher houses to attract and retain more educators in a bid to sustain the positive impact of the Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) programme.
The initiative comes in response to the growing demand for teachers at the school, where only four teachers are currently responsible for eight classes. This shortage disrupts regular lessons, including the BEFIT tablet-based learning sessions that are being commended for showing promising academic outcomes among learners.
Group Village Headman (GVH) Vumo highlighted that the teacher shortage was hindering progress at the school. By mobilizing resources and labour, community members are constructing three staff houses to attract and retain more teachers. This effort is expected to improve the continuity and quality of both BEFIT sessions and regular classes.
โThe BEFIT sessions have been very helpful, but the shortage of teachers has made it difficult to manage them consistently. This is what compelled us, as parents and guardians, to act,โ said Group Village Headman (GVH) Vumo.
The Chitipa District Quality Education Officer (QAO), Thomson Phiri, added that the presence of accommodation would make it more attractive for teachers to be posted to Vumo.
In his remarks, Chitipa District Councilโs Quality Education Officer (QAO), Thomson Phiri, expressed enthusiasm, stating that with the availability of houses at Vumo, his office would be eager to recruit new teachers. Phiri reiterated that the presence of accommodation would make it more attractive for teachers to be posted to Vumo.
BEFIT is a government of Malawi-owned and led programme aimed at enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy skills among learners in standards 1 to 4 across all public primary schools in Malawi through supplemental, individualized, self-paced instruction delivered via specialized apps on android tablets.
