Parents Join Hands with Khwalala Primary School to Improve Learner Attendance

Khwalala Primary School Headteacher, Brighton Mbetewa, addresses parents and community members during a sensitisation meeting aimed at improving learner attendance and maximizing learning time under the BeFIT Programme.

Poor learner attendance, particularly on market days, has been identified as one of the challenges affecting learning outcomes at Khwalala Primary School in Phalombe District.

To address the issue, the school recently organized a community sensitisation meeting that brought together parents, guardians, and community members to discuss the importance of consistent school attendance and their role in supporting children's learning.

The meeting was led by the Headteacher, Brighton Mbetewa, who emphasized that every missed school day represents a missed learning opportunity for learners, especially those benefiting from the Building Education Foundations Through Innovation and Technology (BeFIT) Programme.

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 public primary schools. The programme provides supplemental, individualized, and self-paced learning through specialized applications installed on Android tablets. By allowing learners to progress at their own pace, the programme helps strengthen reading and numeracy skills while complementing classroom teaching.

Addressing parents during the meeting, Mbetewa expressed concern over the increasing number of learners absent from school on market days.

"While market activities are important for families, we must remember that education is equally important for our children. When learners miss school, they miss lessons, classroom interactions, and BeFIT sessions. It becomes difficult for them to keep up with their peers, and this affects their overall learning progress," said Mbetewa.

He further explained that regular attendance is particularly important under BeFIT because the programme relies on continuous learner engagement.

"The programme is designed to provide learners with additional time to practice literacy and numeracy skills through the tablets. Every session matters. When a learner misses school, they lose valuable learning time that cannot easily be recovered. We therefore need the support of parents to ensure children attend school consistently," he added.

One of the key issues discussed during the meeting was the concept of "time on task"—the amount of time learners spend actively engaged in learning activities. Under BeFIT, schools are encouraged to maximize time on task to ensure learners fully benefit from both classroom instruction and tablet-based learning sessions.

Teachers at Khwalala Primary School observed that absenteeism during market days disrupts learning schedules and reduces the effectiveness of the programme. Learners who miss sessions often return having fallen behind in both classroom work and tablet-based activities.

Among the parents who attended the meeting was Esnart Chikondi, a mother of two learners at the school. She acknowledged that some parents unknowingly contribute to absenteeism by involving children in market-related activities.

"As parents, we sometimes prioritize immediate household needs without realizing the impact on our children's education. This meeting has helped us understand that every school day counts. I have learned that when my children attend school regularly, they have a better chance of improving their reading and mathematics skills," she said.

Chikondi pledged to encourage other parents in the community to ensure their children attend school consistently.

"I will share this message with fellow parents. We all want our children to have a brighter future, and that starts with making sure they are in school every day," she added.

The sensitisation meeting also provided an opportunity for parents to ask questions, share concerns, and discuss practical ways of supporting learner attendance.

Participants agreed that stronger collaboration between schools, parents, and community leaders is essential in addressing absenteeism and improving educational outcomes.

Through initiatives such as these, Khwalala Primary School is strengthening community ownership of education and reinforcing the message that learner success is a shared responsibility.

By ensuring children are present and actively engaged in learning every day, parents and teachers can work together to maximize the benefits of the BeFIT programme and help build strong foundations in literacy and numeracy for all learners.