The Malawi Research and Education Network (MAREN) announces its participation in the newly launched Malawi Education Technology (EdTech) Coalition aimed at advancing and integrating digital technologies as well as enhancing learning experiences in schools across the country.

The Coalition, which consists of prominent organisations and stakeholders including the Malawi Government, development partners, the civil society, EdTech Hub and the ICT Industry partners, has been launched today, Friday, 1st June, 2023, during the Malawi 2023 National Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) Symposium held at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.

Ministry of Education Director of ODeL, Joshua Valeta led the launch of the Coalition which saw representatives from the key stakeholders reading out statements of commitments in support of the Coalition.

MAREN CEO, Solomon Dindi, read out a statement of commitment  from industry partners towards the Coalition emphasizing on the need for an aggressive resource mobilisation drive for the attainment of the goals of the coalition.

“We commit to actively supporting efforts to raise and allocate resources for digital education. We will collaborate with governments, philanthropic organizations, and stakeholders across sectors to create sustainable funding mechanisms. By pooling our resources and expertise, we can collectively contribute to an inclusive and sustainable learning ecosystem.  We call upon governments, philanthropic organizations, and stakeholders from various sectors to recognize the significance of resource mobilization for EdTech,” said Dindi who read out a total of eight commitment statements of industry partners towards the Coalition.

Speaking earlier, Ministry of Education Director of Science, Technology and Innovation, Chomora Mikeka read out commitment statements on behalf of the Ministry which has pledged to support the Coalition through the formulation and implementation of enabling policies that support EdTech.   

“We commit to ensuring that the policies of the Malawi EdTech Coalition are aligned with the national education policies and goals. This alignment will enable us to effectively integrate technology in the education system and maximize its benefits for learners. We will actively address policy issues related to EdTech integration, including the alignment of digital education policies, the distribution of devices to learners, the development of digital skills, and the effective utilization of data for monitoring and evaluation,” pledged Mikeka.

Some of the organizations  in the Coalition include the Ministry of Education (MoE), Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), EdTech Hub, MAREN, Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC), USAID, World Bank, Airtel Malawi and Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM).