The Ministry of Education has launched the ‘AU-Africa Educates Her’ campaign to encourage a girl child to excel in her academic pursuits.
Speaking on Thursday when presiding over the official launch ceremony, director of education planning in the Ministry of Education, Victoria Geresomo, said education in the country faced a major setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hence the need to stirring efforts aimed at promoting the course.
She said: “This initiative has come to respond to, among other things, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected girls’ attendance in schools. The 2024 annual schools census survey has also revealed that performance of girls, especially retention in schools is still a problem in the country.”
Gerosomo added that the initiative of the African Educates Her Campaign will also rekindle fire by, among other things, coming up with various initiatives aimed at encouraging a girl child to enrol back in schools and also to complete primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education.
Speaking on behalf of non-governmental organizations working in the education sector in the country, Oxfam Malawi’s country director, Lingalireni Mihowa, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the government in raising the education standards of a girl child.
“As a collaboration of NGOs, we are going to work in all the facets of the campaign, which include policy and advocacy, capacity building, building partnerships and supporting policies that member states have so that they are very responsive to girls’ education,” she said.
OXFAM, CAVWOC, GENET, CAMFED, FAWEMA and CRECCOM supported the event at Buke Primary School ground in Balaka District.
As a way of encouraging a girl child to work hard in school, Oxfam Malawi donated bicycles, education materials and sanitary items to girls.
The campaign, under the auspices of the African Union, aims to respond to many impacts that African member states notice that they could have reversed the gains that the continent made in championing girl child education.
