Malawi Government has been urged to take full control of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the country.
The remarks were made by Chancellor College ECD Specialist Dr Khama Chibwana during a one day workshop for Northern Region ECD stakeholders from Chitipa and Rumphi districts organised by Action Aid Malawi in Mzuzu.
Participants to the meeting included chiefs, councillors and parliamentarians from the two districts.
According to Chibwana, government should take full control of the ECD programme by providing adequate resources to ECD rather than relying on non-state actors and communities alone.
In his remarks, parliamentarian for Chitipa Wenya Godfrey Munkhondia said he will raise the matter with the relevant ministry to ensure that there is increased resource allocation towards ECD.
On his part, Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe said he will mobilise traditional authorities and communities in his area to take an active role towards contributing to quality ECD standards in Rumphi District.
Action Aid Malawi has been implementing a ten-year comprehensive ECD programme in the country since 2011 with funding from the Roger Federer Foundation. Apart from Rumphi and Chitipa, the programme is implemented in the districts of Ntchisi, Lilongwe Peri-Urban, Dedza, Mchinji, Machinga, Phalombe, Neno and Nsanje.
