UNIMA Trains 54 Clothing and Textiles Secondary School Teachers

A 10-day workshop for 54 Clothing and Textiles (CTex) secondary school teachers is currently underway at the University of Malawi.

The training, which has been organised by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology with support from the European Union (EU), is aimed at strengthening teachers’ competencies in delivering Clothing and Textiles education in secondary schools.

The programme, which is being led by the School of Education, is delivered collaboratively by three departments namely the Department of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education under the School of Education, the Department of Human Ecology and Agricultural Sciences under the School of Natural and Applied Sciences, and the Department of Fashion and Design under the School of Arts, Communication and Design.

Speaking during the opening ceremony held on 8th December 2025, the Director of Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Ruth Samati Kambali, explained that the Ministry is currently implementing an EU-supported project focused on three key pillars namely access and equity, quality and relevance, and governance and management.

Linking the workshop to Malawi 2063, she noted that Pillar 5 emphasises human capital development, which requires building capacity from the grassroots.

“We cannot develop capacity at the grassroots if we do not strengthen the capacity of our teachers. This training is therefore aimed at updating teachers’ knowledge in textiles and clothing,” she said.

Kambali added that the workshop will greatly contribute to improving teacher quality and enhancing the Ministry’s broader agenda on skills development.

She also highlighted that the initiative aligns with the Ministry’s ongoing curriculum reforms.

“The new curriculum will be a competence-based curriculum, which focuses not only on learners acquiring knowledge but also on gaining employable skills. We want learners to complete secondary school ready to be employed or become entrepreneurs because they have the practical skills,” she stressed.

According to, the Executive Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Peter Namphande, the training has come at a crucial time as the Government of Malawi continues to push for skills development across all levels of the education system.

Dr. Namphande also expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for its continued trust in the University of Malawi to provide in-service training for Clothing and Textiles teachers.

“This is the second cohort we are training. The first training was conducted in 2023, where we trained 33 CTex secondary school teachers. We are also mindful that, as we speak, we have UCE teachers employed by the government who are currently on campus sitting for their end-of-semester examinations. The University cherishes the trust that the Ministry has placed in us, and we do not take this gesture for granted,” he added.

Ms. Rachel Munthali, a secondary school teacher at Sangano Community Day Secondary School, expressed appreciation for the training, emphasising its relevance to her work.

She said the workshop will equip her with the knowledge and practical skills needed to effectively teach her students, provide accurate information, and enhance hands-on learning experiences.