The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology says the Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) programme is significantly improving literacy and numeracy skills in primary schools where the program is being implemented in the country.
Spokesperson for the ministry, Lily Kampani, has said this during a training workshop held in Liwonde, Machinga, where journalists from community radio stations and District Information Officers (DIOs) were oriented on the programme’s operations and progress so far.
Kampani highlighted that the tablet-based learning initiative is yielding positive results among learners in Standards 1 to 4.
“The BEFIT programme was introduced to improve foundational learning, specifically literacy and numeracy skills. So far, research shows significant improvement in learners’ ability to read, write, and solve mathematics in primary schools where the program is currently in operation,” explained Kampani.
She further highlighted that the program has also boosted school enrolment, as children in Standards 1 to 4 are more eager to come to class.
One of the participants from YONECO FM, Peter Davieson, said the workshop was an eye-opener about reporting on digital education initiatives and bringing accurate information to rural communities.
Davieson further noted that the training broadened the media’s understanding of the technology’s impact in primary schools.
“The training has broadened our minds regarding how BEFIT operates in primary schools. We have been equipped to produce detailed and accurate stories about BEFIT and how tablet learning benefits children in our communities,” Davieson explained.
The BEFIT programme was launched in 2023 and is operating in 1,089 schools across the 34 education districts in the country.
The initiative is being scaled up under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology management via District Implementation Teams (DITs), targeting over 6,000 public primary schools and 3,000,000 children across all 34 educational districts by 2029.
