CSCQBE, Affiliates embark on an Education Manifesto Campaign

Secretary for Education Ministry making a keynote address during the launch

Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE) have developed the Malawi Education Manifesto to be used to lobby for support towards education. As a crucial catalyst for development, the education manifesto seeks to profile issues that politicians should focus during the campaign and after the elections.

The initiative is being supported by ANCEFA in four countries i.e. Malawi, Niger, Kenya and Mali. However, the support from ANCEFA is merely in the form of seed funds which are expected to be supplemented by other donors. The purpose of the project is to empower communities in order for them to demand quality education from the aspirants.

To this end, a special taskforce was formed consisting selected institutional members of CSCQBE and other key stakeholders. At a meeting held on 19 March, 2009 at Pacific Hotel in Lilongwe, participants agreed to institute a mini taskforce to work on the manifesto - which they lattr named Education Egenda - and that the taskforce was to start the development of the manifesto as soon as possible and the 1st draft of the manifesto was to be presented to the main taskforces during the first week of April 2009.

The taskforce finished its work end April and the Education was officially launched on 5 May at the Cresta Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe where among the invited participants included representatives of the political parties who also made their presentations. The political parties that were present were Malawi Congress Party (MCP), United Democratic Front (UDF), and National Rainbow Coalition (NARC).

The individuals who formed the special taskforce were as follows: Mr. Limuwa, Ms Carr, and Mr Kondowe(CSCQBE); Mr Chisi (MEJN); Mr Kayange (CRIDOC); Ms Banda and Mr Mondiwa (PRDO); and Mr Ndalama and Mr. Kadalengwa (ACEM); and Mr Mkandawire from FAWEMA.

Among other things, the participants also agreed the following:

• Strategies to be used in dissemination will be those which would not cause voter apathy as highlighted in a just released study report by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE), but favoured radio as the most powerful tool.
  
• Activities suggested by members were:

  o Panel discussion, phone in programmes and jingles on the radio and television.
  o Radios and televisions stations selected based on their objectivity were:
  

• Members suggested the following materials to be some of those to be tapped from for the development of the manifesto:
  
  
  o National education Sector Plan (NESP)
  o Malawi Country status Report, 2008.
  o Malawi EFA Dossier by CSCQBE
  o Mid Year Joint Sector Review 2008/09
  o Budget Studies Documents (CSOs and GoM)
  
• The Manifesto would look at issues in the MGDS, MGDs and EFA Action Plan for each level of education

• Member resolved that the manifesto would be translated into three major languages which are Chichewa, Tumbuka and Yao.

• Members agreed to launch the Manifesto on the 21st April, 2009 and this will be combined with National workshop of the GCE Week of Action.

Download Agenda Here»