By Pemphero Malimba:
The government may require at least K95 billion to employ and sustain 26,284 new primary school teachers each year.
Last month, the government promoted at least 33,000 teachers, of whom 26,284 primary school teachers were upgraded from Grade TL to Grade TK.
Local Government Service Commission Executive Secretary Edward Talota told local media that plans were underway to recruit new teachers to fill the gap created following the promotion of teachers from Grade TL.
The Ministry of Local Government has reportedly directed all district councils across the country to fill vacancies following the recent teacher promotions.
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Grade TL teachers receive K3,630,564 annually, meaning the government would need not less than K95 billion to manage the newly recruited teachers for a year.
On the other hand, the promoted 26,284 teachers will now be receiving a minimum of K4 million on Grade TK, which will cost the government K105 billion annually.
In the 2025 financial year budget, wages and salaries were projected at K1.53 trillion, which included K10 billion for recruitment and K176 billion for a general salary increment.
Currently, in addition to recruiting new teachers, the government is also conducting recruitment processes for Disease Control Surveillance Assistants, Statistical Clerks and Hospital Attendants.
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Treasury spokesperson Williams Banda had yet to respond to our questions on the matter at the time of going to press.
However, Minister of Finance Simplex Chithyola Banda is on record as having failed to indicate where the government would source additional funds for recruitment and promotions.
“We are a government” was the only response Chithyola Banda gave to our sister paper, Malawi News, when asked about the numerous government promotions and where the funds would come from.
Civil Society Education Coalition Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe is of the view that the new recruitment process was not realistic.
“Given that only K10 billion was allocated for recruitment across both the health and education sectors, against a K95 billion requirement for new teachers alone, the recruitment is not financially realistic in full,” Kondowe said.
He said the move would result in the government recruiting only a small number of teachers.
“The government may only manage a partial recruitment or will need to mobilise additional funding to meet the full salary bill,” Kondowe said.
He, however, insisted that the recruitment of new teachers was crucial for the education sector as it would help improve teacher-to-learner ratios.
“[It would also] prevent disruptions in learning and ensure that the responsibilities of promoted teachers are effectively backfilled.
“It also offers job opportunities to qualified, unemployed teachers and strengthens the education workforce across the country,” Kondowe said.
Economic analyst Velli Nyirongo told Malawi News that an expanded wage bill would certainly harm macroeconomic stability, with the economic consequences likely to impact ordinary Malawians “most severely”.
He said that when deficit financing leads to higher inflation, decreased social spending or additional borrowing, the cost of living is likely to increase while public services deteriorate.
Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency Executive Director Willy Kambwandira said the recruitment move raises serious questions about fiscal sustainability and long-term planning.
Kambwandira questioned where the additional funds would come from to fill the gap created by the recruitments.
“It is important that recruitment efforts are always driven by genuine educational needs rather than a political agenda. One might speculate that these significant public recruitments and promotions are desperate attempts to garner political support,” he said.
Kambwandira further said that recruitment processes should be accompanied by an economic plan and investment.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the unemployed teachers’ group, Willard Jonazi, said they expected the government to walk the talk on the recruitment of primary school teachers.
