A day in the life of a head teacher in Malawi

I spoke to one of the teachers I work with who told me about one boy called Emmanuel*. Emmanuel is deaf, and was struggling to learn in a class of hundreds of other students and only one teacher. It’s impossible to get one-on-one support when the teacher has so many other students to teach. Recently, Emmanuel’s school has been given educational tablets to use every day, and his teacher tells me his learning has greatly improved. Being able to focus and learn at his own pace means he now knows how to read, write and count. I’m so proud of this work, and your support is helping children like Emmanuel build a better future for themselves.  

Hear from Artwel

I’m Artwel, a head teacher at a primary school in rural Malawi. Theonas and I work in the same school, and we both share a huge amount of experience in education. I’ve been a teacher for 23 years now, and have been leading this primary school for seven years. 

When I was a child, I was lucky enough to go to school, and I’m very proud of my hard work to get through my education, as it wasn’t easy. I believe it’s made me the person I am today. I see a lot of similarities between my experience at school and the experience my students have today. We sat on the floor as there was no room for desks and chairs. Sometimes we went outside to learn under the shade of a tree because it was more pleasant than the classroom. There was also a problem with parents not understanding the benefit of education back then, so if a child didn’t want to stay at school due to the poor conditions, they were not pushed to continue. I knew some students in my class who didn’t stay in school for long. 

I was lucky enough to have foster parents who encouraged me to continue with my education after primary school, and I was one of few children in my area who attended secondary school. It was there I found my passion for education, and I knew I wanted to teach. 

Past and present challenges

I’ve been working as a head teacher for seven years now, and I see that the same challenges I faced as a child are still affecting children here every day. Lack of teachers and resources is definitely one of the biggest issues I face in running the school, and it has a damaging impact on children’s education. Before the educational tablets came, some teachers would tell me that they couldn't teach properly because they were lacking basic materials, like textbooks or teaching aids. How could children possibly learn without these? 

Overcrowded classrooms are also a big issue, as they were when I was young. Currently, our average student to teacher ratio is 100:1, but there are classes in this school that include over 200 students to one teacher. More teachers are needed to lessen the load, but Malawi currently has a shortage of job opportunities for trained teachers – the government doesn’t have the money to pay them. Poor learning conditions, lack of teachers and resources all lead to children dropping out of school and not getting the education they need for their futures. This leads to an increase in illiteracy, lack of job opportunities and a life in poverty. 

The educational tablet that’s unlocking children’s potential

Since the educational tablets have come to our school, I’m very pleased to say I’ve seen incredible improvements in the students, and they’re now coming to school every day. Students have gone from counting to 10 to adding large numbers, and from reading small words to reading short stories. Reading scores of children using the tablets are 100% higher than those who aren’t using them[1] - these tablets are changing lives. They boost learning, educate children and help lessen the load for the teachers. Over time, more teachers will eventually enter the workplace and this problem will lessen. The tablets are acting as the children's digital teacher in the meantime. 

Working with Theonas and VSO has been a wonderful experience. When he visits the school, he comes to see me in the morning to plan out the day. He helps me understand where the children need more help, where I can support my staff, and he also helps the teachers and children when they need support using the tablets. I’ve also learned how to use the tablets myself thanks to Theonas! The knowledge he is sharing with us will make long-lasting change here.