By Raphael Likaka
Association of Catholic sisters from various congregations have opened a computer school in Lilongwe to promote computer literacy among young people.
Programs Coordinator for African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) who is also Communication Officer for Association of Women in Religious Institutes of Malawi (AWRIM), Sister Teresa Mulenga, said the organisation intends to teach the youth computer knowledge and skills apart from teaching scripture.
She observed that young people that are not computer literate face a lot of challenges whenever they’re selected to pursue tertiary education hence the decision to open the school.
She further observed that a lot of things are technologically changing and a lot of communication is done through internet and other computer technology.
Sister Teresa therefore called on young people that are expected to go for tertiary education and those that are employed in different sectors to enroll with the newly opened school to improve their ICT knowledge and skills.
“Let the young people that are computer illiterate but are expected to go for tertiary education in various colleges to come and learn lCT and other skills at our school,” Sister Teresa added.
One of the learners at the newly opened school, Sister Ellen Kezias said she and other learners have leant a lot such that she was able to do communication through internet.
She expressed hope that after completing her computer course, her computer knowledge and skill would improve better adding that she also learnt a lot of interpersonal communication skills which was a problem before.
“I’ve learnt a lot such as computer and communication and l was totally computer illiterate before enrolling for the computer course,” Sister Ellen said.
One of the young men who is expected to go to University of Malawi, Felix Kataika said the computer course was very helpful because he learnt interpersonal communication skills which will also help him in the university.
In terms of computer, Kataika added that he learns how to use computer and how communicate via internet and he commended the AWRIM for teaching him a lot of computer knowledge and skills apart from interpersonal communication skills.
The Association of Women in Religious Institutes of Malawi is comprised of 43 sisterhood congregations of the Catholic Church.
