The Teachers Council of Malawi has received praises for recommending that no teacher should be allowed to serve in Malawi if they do not have a license by 1st July this year.
Recently, the council through a letter, notified the nation that all teachers in the country will be required to register and apply for a licence before July 1st, 2024 or else they will not be allowed to offer their services in the country.
The statement further indicated that all teachers in primary schools, whether public or private, are supposed to pay MWK20,000 as registration fee and K60,000 as license fee, while those in teacher’s training colleges and secondary schools will need to pay K30,000 as registration fee and K90,000 to get a licence.
According to the letter, the licences would be valid for three years only, and it is further reported that after its expiry in the said period, every teacher will have to renew them or cease to be recognized as teachers in the country.
Reacting to the development, Private Schools Association of Malawi (PRISAM), through its president Ernest Kaonga, indicated that they have welcomed the idea by Teachers Council of Malawi to have all teachers registered and licensed.
Dr Kaonga said the recommendation for licensing of every teacher in Malawi, will be a confirmation that every teacher meets the stipulated professional requirements to be allowed to practice and added that this is the way forward for improving the country’s education sector.
“Licensing a professional is a guarantee to society that the practitioner meets certain standards, adheres strictly to a Code of Conduct, and continuously updates him or herself professionally.
“Licensure provides the professional and public assurance that educators have met state teaching standards and have demonstrated their readiness to teach and improve student learning. As PRISAM, we agree with Teachers Council of Malawi and we believe that all teachers should be profession-ready from their first day of responsibility for student learning,” reacted Kaonga.
Meanwhile, some people have called for a review of the fees structure for the licensing process saying the current fees are exorbitant.
T
