A Call for Vision, Unity, and Investment in Education
“A cut on the flesh results in bleeding, but a cut to the heart births pain.” Malawi is suffering both.
As Malawi inches closer to yet another election, a palpable tension sits in the air. Our streets buzz not with celebration but with suspicion. People whisper questions in markets, at bus stops, in schoolyards, and on social media: Who deserves our vote? Who will finally deliver? Yet deep down, many of us already know the answer—it’s the same players, same promises, and the same painful aftermath.
Election time in Malawi has become a marketplace of manipulation: I sell, you buy. Politicians sharpen their rhetoric, and we—the people—gamble with our hopes once more. But behind the slogans and posters lies a trail of blood—metaphorical, yet profoundly real.
We are a nation cut in the flesh by economic hardship, but worse cut in the heart by betrayal. And the heart, when wounded, bleeds in silence.
The Unseen Crisis: An Education System in Shambles
One of the most excruciating wounds we carry is the decay of our education system. Our future—our children—is being slowly drained of promise.
Across Malawi, thousands of schools operate without enough teachers, textbooks, or proper facilities. Many students still learn under trees. Qualified teachers remain unemployed or underpaid, while students sit idle in overcrowded classrooms with no direction, no inspiration.
We must ask ourselves: How can we build a future when we are not even building minds?
This is not just a national failure—it’s a generational tragedy. The youth are not statistics. They are not vote banks. They are the architects of tomorrow, and yet they are being raised in a country that forgets them every five years.
Why Can't We Learn from Others?
We must look beyond our borders and draw courage from our brothers and sisters across the continent. Why can’t we be like Rwanda, investing in teachers, technology, and policy innovation with boldness and vision? Why can’t we move like Ghana, which is ensuring that no child is denied a secondary education due to poverty? Why do we continue to live in a loop of self-inflicted wounds, ignoring every lesson offered to us by fellow African nations?
This is not about copying blindly—it is about daring to believe that we too can change, that we too can rise. But we cannot do that if our attitude remains static, cynical, and small-minded.
Trained Teachers: The Real Nation Builders
Let us be clear: recruiting and training teachers is not just an administrative task—it is a revolutionary act.
Teachers are not mere employees of the state. They are shapers of destiny. They are soldiers in the fight against ignorance, poverty, and underdevelopment. If we fail to invest in them, we are not just failing the education system—we are sabotaging our national future.
A government that cannot prioritize education is not just inefficient; it is dangerous. It steals from generations yet unborn.
Malawi is bleeding—bleeding from every corner whereas potential meets abandonment. We are tired. We are anxious. We are angry. But we are not without hope.
Let this be the election where we break the cycle. Let this be the moment we decide that our children matter more than campaign rallies. Let this be the turning point where we demand, not just promises, but policy. Not just speeches, but solutions.
As we approach the polls, we must do so with wisdom and memory. Remember the pain. Remember the promises that never became reality. And remember that your vote is not just a piece of paper—it is a weapon for change.
Vote for trained teachers. Vote for classrooms, not corruption. Vote for a future that your children can inherit with pride, not pain. The road is stained, yes. But it can still lead somewhere beautiful—if we choose to walk it together, with courage, compassion, and conviction.
By Oliver Kasito Jnr
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