By Dyson Mthawanji
The Germany Embassy has hailed the ‘Kuphunzira Sikumatha’ campaign which is being spearheaded by stakeholders in the Adult Learning and Education (ALE) sector in Malawi.
The ‘Kuphunzira Sikumatha’ concept is a Malawian version of ‘lifelong learning’. It literally means: Learning does not stop. The campaign is helping people mainly in rural areas to fully understand what lifelong learning is all about and to acquire various life skills.
The Chief of German Development Cooperation, Dr. Andreas Hartmann, said the campaign has come at the right time, when ALE services are in high demand. He made the remarks on Thursday in Lilongwe during DVV International’s kick-off workshop for its new BMZ three year phase of ALE programme implementation which runs from 2026 to 2028.
Hartmann said:
Thumbs up to the ALE community in Malawi for making the newly introduced brand “Kuphunzira Sikumatha – Learning never ends” a reality for all Malawians. The government of the Federal Republic of Germany is delighted and proud that it can substantially contribute to the further promotion of Adult Learning and Education in Malawi in the coming three years.
He further said the German government will stand by the Malawian ALE community to ensure that the ‘Kuphunzira Sikumatha’ campaign enlightens more people to continue learning.
Germany highly values the significance of ALE to development and we are grateful for the engagement of DVV International and all its individual and organisational partners.
The ‘Kuphunzira Sikumatha’ concept is the brainchild of DVV International and the National Centre for Adult Literacy and Education.
The campaign has influenced many people to enroll for Integrated Adult Education classes and at Community Learning Centres in Malawi.
DVV International Regional Director for Southern Africa, Dr Johann Heilmann, urged the ALE stakeholders to continue working together for the sake of improved ALE delivery in the country.