Computer Literacy in Malawi

A little update from Namitembo Trade and Agriculture School...

We are once again looking for a new teacher in the computer science department, and to this end, the school has placed an advertisement in Malawi's national newspapers. After one week of running the ad, we have received seven responses. This is really quite extraordinary when you consider that we received only five responses last year, after running our ad for twice as long. We expect to receive letters from several more applicants as well; this application period does not end until May 29th.

So what's the story here? Well, while computer science courses are becoming increasingly popular in Malawi, the job opportunities are a bit slower coming. For now, supply is outpacing demand. This is good news for Namitembo Trade School's hiring prospects, obviously, as we have a larger pool of skilled candidates looking for work. However, as a teaching institution, it presents us with the fresh challenge of preparing computer science graduates for a more hostile job market. As a vocational/technical school, we have an obligation to our students to be honest about their prospects and to equip them with the skills necessary to get the best jobs.

This is exactly the sort of thing that makes me wonder just why in the hell some NGOs - such as the One Laptop Per Child Campaign, which I'm told is now opening shop in Malawi - are spending gobs and gobs of money flying people across the globe and paying them generous stipends to perform tasks that increasing numbers of Africans (Malawians certainly included) are perfectly capable of doing. This is especially bizarre when one considers that these short-term workers from Western nations will face a possibly insurmountable language barrier...unless extra money is spent on translation costs, of course. Why not show a little trust, and allow Africans to have a larger share in their own destinies?