CRECCOM Hands Over BeFIT Programme to Zomba Urban Education Office

Stakeholders pose for a group photo after the official handover of the BeFIT programme from CRECCOM to the Zomba Urban Education Office.

The Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation (CRECCOM) has officially handed over the implementation of the Building Education Foundations Through Innovation and Technology (BeFIT) programme to the Zomba Urban Education Office, marking a significant milestone in strengthening district ownership and sustainability of the initiative.

CRECCOM served as the BeFIT Implementing Support Partner (ISP) for Zomba Urban, supporting the district in rolling out the programme from September 2023 to December 2025 in Mponda and Likangala zones, specifically at Chikamveka, St Joseph Girls, and Mpotola Primary Schools.

BeFIT is a Government of Malawi–owned and led programme aimed at improving foundational literacy and numeracy skills among learners in Standards 1 to 4 in all public primary schools nationwide. The programme delivers supplemental, individualized, and self-paced learning through specialised applications installed on Android tablets.

Learners at St Joseph Girls Primary School take part in a BeFIT learning session delivered through digital learning applications.

Speaking during the handover ceremony held on Friday, CRECCOM Executive Director Alinafe Ireen Chibwana commended the Zomba Urban Education Office for fully embracing the programme and building the technical capacity required to manage and scale it up to more schools in the future.

“Zomba Urban has demonstrated that with the right systems and commitment, districts can sustainably manage technology-driven learning programmes. Best practices such as school-based repair teams have ensured uninterrupted learning sessions and created a reliable pool of human resources that even supported other districts to establish district, zone, and school-level repair networks,” said Chibwana.

She further highlighted routine monitoring and close collaboration between education officials, schools, and communities as key contributors to the programme’s success in the district.

Zomba Urban Principal Education Officer Gladson Mithenga expressed gratitude to CRECCOM for the comprehensive support provided to the education office throughout the implementation period.

“CRECCOM’s support strengthened our capacity at all levels—from teachers and headteachers to Primary Education Advisors. The programme benefited from regular review meetings, strong community mobilisation, and timely technical support whenever challenges arose,” said Mithenga.

Mithenga noted that BeFIT has delivered tangible benefits in Zomba Urban, including improved learner engagement and attendance.

“We have observed reduced absenteeism, improved learner participation, and noticeable gains in literacy and numeracy outcomes among early-grade learners. The confidence of both teachers and learners in using digital learning tools has also significantly improved,” he added.

Learners at Chikamveka Primary School participate in a BeFIT session using Android tablets to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

The handover signifies a transition to full district leadership of the BeFIT programme, in line with the Government of Malawi’s vision of institutionalising innovative, technology-enabled learning approaches within the public education system.