Barely a month after Malawi24 reported about the head teacher at Mbidi Primary School in Zomba who used her personal resources to encourage learners to stay in school and improve PSLCE exam results, the headteacher has been promoted.
In September this year, Malawi24 published a story about Mbidi Primary School Head Teacher Miss Stella M. Phiri who sacrificed her hard-earned resources just to keep learners at school and also to improve Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education exam results at her school.
Following this, and of course the retiring of some Primary Education Advisors (PEA) as well as the fact that she has recently obtained a bachelor of arts in Education degree, Phiri is now the new PEA for Chikomwe Zone in Zomba district.
The triumphant Phiri thanked God for allocating her and she encouraged other teachers to always work hard and upgrade themselves when chances arise.
“I am having tears of joy and I am very excited as it is not usual to appoint someone as young as l am to that position. Partly it should be the initiative that I have been doing (at Mbidi Primary School). Apart from that, some PEAs have retired and I have been promoted after doing interviews for the post.
“I am encouraging teachers to always work hard and upgrade themselves because another contributing factor to this promotion is the fact that I have recently (last month) obtained a bachelor degree of arts in Education from the Catholic University (CU).
“This has proven that anyone can hold the position regardless of age as long as one is dedicated to work, upgrading and have positive mind towards work,” said Phiri.
Phiri has since committed to work tirelessly towards improving education standards and of course PSCLE exam results in the entire Chikomwe Zone.
“l expect to do much at Chikomwe zone in terms of performance, coordination of head teacher and teachers towards the goal of quality education to our learners for bright future,” she added.
In our previous article about Phiri, we reported that Mbidi full primary school which currently has 977 learners, has been underperforming in previous PSLCE examinations and that in the past five years, it is only in 2020 when the school managed to send two learners to a boarding school when one learner was selected to Dedza Secondary School and another to Masongola Secondary School.
In 2021, Mbidi Primary School had 32 learners who sat for PSLCE exams out of which 30 passed and two failed, 14 were selected to CDSS, while in 2022, it had 44 learners and 38 passed, six failed, 19 were selected to CDSS.
This year, the school had 50 learners and 48 passed while two failed, and 28 were selected to CDSS a development which forced Phiri to think of initiatives which could not only keep the learners at school but also improve results in PSLCE exams.
Among others, the youthful head teacher, organized the school’s first ever graduation ceremony early September this year which she said was aimed to motivate learners to stay in school and reduce school dropout as the school eyes more selection of learners to boarding schools.
Ms. Phiri the Head Teacher, at her own expense designed and individualised each certificate which was printed using the school uniform colour — light blue and on a hard board paper.
