Livingstonia Synod awards best CBCCs, primary schools in Mzimba

MALAWI: CCAP Synod of Livingstonia's Early Childhood Development (ECD) Department has awarded the best-performing Community-Based Child Care (CBCC) institutions and primary schools under Ekwendeni Zone at Traditional Authority (T/A) Mtwalo in Mzimba.

The ceremony, which took place at Ekwendeni CCAP Primary School grounds on Friday, brought together 75 CBCCs which graduated learners who are now ready to start Standard One on 4th January 2022.

Speaking after presenting the awards to the best schools, the district project coordinator for the ECD department, Caroline Kachilika Phiri, said their aim was to encourage schools to be ready for children and the children to be ready for schools.

"So, in terms of those CBCCs and primary schools that have received the awards, I can say that it has been a good initiative just because these schools have followed what we agreed upon to be done in the CBC’s. So, this is the way they are being awarded today," said Kachirika Phiri.

Expressing joy after receiving the awards as the best school, headteacher for St. Michael's Primary School, Joel Botha, said he was overjoyed that schools had now started to reap from their hard work.

"This development is very exciting and my joy is 100 percent because this is a new thing that happens to our school since it was established in 1992. So, I'm very happy, very happy indeed. I have been visiting these CBCCs now and then, telling them what to do best," said Botha.

On his part, the guest of honour at the ceremony, who is also the Chief Education Officer for Mzimba North, Enerst Chirwa, said it was important to prepare the young learners for primary schools which are also ready for them to join.

Chirwa said: "This is a very important exercise for us that ECD department of Synod of Livingstonia had actually invited us to the graduation of ECD learners. It simply means that there is that preparation of these learners from that youngest stage, which is ECD, which is our nursery stage in readiness for joining the primary education right from Standard One."

At the end of the event, two CBCCs; M'khaya and Mchereka, and two primary schools; St. Michael's and Ng'ongo emerged as the best and they each received a prize of K50, 000.

The Synod has established the ECD department so as to help communities in Mzimba and other districts prepare children for education at a tender age.