By Beatrice Mwape & Bridget Makawa
The private sector has been urged to partner with government in addressing illiteracy, particularly in rural primary schools.
The call follows the launch of an K11 million Read to Lead campaign by Imperial Motors, Lilongwe City Centre Rotary Club and Zayan Creation Trust at Kasanje Primary School in Lilongwe.
The launch of the Read to Lead campaign comes amid growing concerns over high levels of illiteracy in rural parts of Malawi and across Africa.
To address this challenge, the initiative targets five primary schools within the Mzumazi Zone in Lilongwe, providing each school with 500 books for junior classes.
Speaking during the official launch, Marketing Manager for Imperial Motors, Chiswigho Muyila emphasised that their objective is to partner with the government to raise educational standards by making learning materials accessible.
Welcoming the timely support, the Primary Education Advisor (PEA) for Mzumazi Zone, Theodollar Chasweka, acknowledged that schools in the area face severe shortages of teaching and learning resources.
She noted that the donation will bridge a major gap and help improve overall learner performance.
Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North, Monica Chang’anamuno, commended the partners for investing in rural education and called on more well-wishers and corporate organizations to step forward with similar interventions.
Local traditional leader, Senior Chief Kabudula, also expressed gratitude for the initiative, pledging that the community would safeguard the donated materials to ensure maximum benefit for the children.
About 1,500 primary school learners from Kasanje, Mchengawize, Makumbi, Mkume, and Mavundikira primary schools are expected to benefit from the initiative.
