Catholic Education Secretaries Wants More Catholic Students in Their Schools

Bishop Martin Mtumbuka: the call not intend to
 bar Non-Catholics in their schools

The Malawi Catholic Church Education Secretaries are advocating for the change in the percentage number of primary school students government sends to Catholic Secondary Schools.

Government has a lion share in the current selection criteria for primary school students to begin secondary school in Catholic Schools. Government selects 60% of students to study in Catholic Girls Secondary schools and 55% of students to study in Catholic Secondary schools.

Diocesan Secretaries from all eight dioceses across the nation have recently raised an observation that current selection criteria which the Ministry of Education selects large proportion of students to catholic schools, minimizes number of catholic students selected to catholic schools.

One of the Diocesan Secretaries from Lilongwe Ach Diocese Katie Nkhoma says there must be 50-50 selection because it will help catholic students to study in catholic schools where they can be nurtured into catholic faith and values.

“When you look at the numbers that goes into our schools from government side you will discover that we only have one catholic student from a whole diocese, and therefore we feel that we are sending very few catholic’s to our schools and this has been our observation in the past four years.” She said

“We need to have 50-50 selection of both girls and boys so that we have equal number of catholic students and government selected students studying in our schools. That will help us to have more catholic’s into our schools because our intention is to form and cultivate the values of our learners into the catholic’s. But with this system a lot of catholic students are left out, they go to government secondary schools and day secondary schools where we don’t have mandate to cultivate the values into them” explained Nkhoma

But the Bishop Chairman for the Catholic Education Commission His Lordship Right Reverend Martin Mtumbuka says the call being made should not be understood as if the church would like to stop non-catholic’s from learning in the Catholics schools.

“Yes the education Secretaries were talking about the aspiration that the number of catholic students selected to catholic schools should be increased but it should not be understood that the catholic bishops don’t want non Catholics in our schools. These schools are for public because we receive grants from government”

But he said, “The research has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that majority of adult converts to Catholicism are former students of our catholic schools. But I think it’s an our aspiration to say these schools should take more Catholics, a legitimate aspiration but it should never be understood that the catholic church does not want non catholic’s in their schools.”

Malawi Catholic Education Policy Launched… The Church Promise To Promote Quality Education

The Catholic Church has launched Malawi Catholic Education Policy, aim at consolidate achievements in education and reposition itself to modern challenges. 

The development of the guideline policy is also an attempt to set out some aspects of Catholic perspectives in education.

The policy document among others, presents fundamental principles and ideas of Catholic education which should guide the management of over 1500 primary schools and close to 150 post primary education institutions including Secondary Schools, Teacher Training Colleges, Vocational and Technical Colleges and Special Needs Education College across the country. 

His Lordship Right Reverend Martin Mtumbuka, Bishop Chairman for Catholic Education Commission says the church hopes that contents in the policy will lead to greater clarity on the church vision of education and provide material for thought, reflection and dialogue among those engaged in its provision at all levels and other interested parties.

“We are trying to respond to the environment we are in, over a hundred years ago the environment in which we were working, was not as sophisticated as it is at the moment. The social economic challenges and moral challenges were not the same. Therefore, we are working in the environment that is far most sophisticated than before.” He said

“So, we considered it more necessary to organize our self in more systematic way and in a more coherent way so that we can better respond to the challenges that are in front of us in more prioritized way so that we tackle the most important issues first and move down in a descending order.”

Rt. Rev. Mtumbuka further said apart from promotion of quality education the church is also through its social services committed to end various social-economic challenges, poverty and ethical and moral challenges the country is facing.

The Catholic church began offering education in Malawi since 1901 when the first primary school was established by Montfort Missionaries at Mzama Parish in Ntcheu district.

The policy has outlined number of issues which the Catholic Education Commission shall strive to promote as it offers education in the country. Among others the church shall strive to promote: Catholic Education Institutions be open to all people regardless of their distinction of religion, ethnicity tribe among others; equity in the enrollment for basic education; quality education; discipline including teacher motivation.