Government secretaries across Malawi have been warned against leaking official documents and breaching confidentiality in the course of their duties.
Secretary for Human Resource Management and Development Hilary Chimota issued the warning in Lilongwe during the opening of a refresher training programme for government secretaries.
Chimota said the training seeks to strengthen discipline among secretaries. It will also promote professional office conduct and consistency in official writing.
He said the risk of confidential information leaking is not limited to secretaries.
According to Chimota, other support staff, including messengers, can also handle and move sensitive government correspondence.
He, however, said secretaries remain critical because they manage, process and circulate official communication.
The training is being facilitated by the Malawi School of Government.
Its Director General, Professor Lewis Dzimbiri, said the institution initially targeted secretaries working in high-level offices.
These include offices of ministers, deputy ministers, principal secretaries and directors.
Dzimbiri said the programme was later extended to secretaries serving deputy directors.
He also said the Malawi School of Government had gone for more than two years without conducting refresher training for government secretaries.
The latest programme is expected to reinforce professional standards among secretaries across the public service.
The training comes as government pushes for greater accountability and professionalism in the handling of official information across ministries, departments and agencies.
