Digital Learning Technology Brings New Era for Teachers at Dzaleka Community Secondary School

As the new school term begins in Malawi, teachers at Dzaleka Community Secondary School are excited to start using digital learning technology to improve their teaching and access to online learning materials. In December 2022, 20 teachers at the school were trained on digital learning applications by the Ministry of Education’s Directorate for Digitalization and Mzuzu University computer scientists, with support from UNHCR.

Jean Mvuthe, a teacher at the school, has been teaching for over 30 years but has never had the opportunity to use digital learning technology in her classrooms. She is thrilled to be able to use the digital platform to teach her students, saying, "It’s the first time I’m going to use this technology, it is amazing. Using this platform is very important for me as a teacher. It will help me teach my students online wherever they are. My knowledge is going to improve, and I will gain new skills to deliver my lessons, which will improve the performance of my students. Thanks to UNHCR for bringing the technology to our work.”

Luthanda Chilombo, another teacher who was trained, said, "It encourages self-development. We didn’t think of using tablets and the internet in our work, we are so lucky. This will help us to prepare our lessons and career advancement.”

The launch of digital learning at Dzaleka Community Secondary School is in line with Malawi’s Vision 2063, which aims to digitalize education in the country. The Director for Digitalization in Malawi, Dr. Macpherson Matewele, said, "Covid-19 made physical learning difficult, therefore we must adapt to the new realities. Global access to information is very vital and without access to virtual learning, it is impossible to keep pace with the world.” He added that Dzaleka Community Secondary School is the first to launch digital learning with good WiFi and that the school will serve as a model for other schools in the country.

The school received 500 tablets and WiFi installation with funding from ECHO to address the education challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and limited physical contact between teachers and students. With the help of this new technology, teachers at Dzaleka Community Secondary School are excited to continue improving their teaching and helping their students succeed in their studies.