The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has cleared audit queries against the Technical Entrepreneurship and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) raised by the Auditor General’s office.
On Tuesday, TEVETA officials appeared before the committee to respond to the queries, which included non-remittance of taxes to the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) during the COVID-19 period, lack of an off-site backup server, and the government’s irregular payment of the TEVET levy used to fund TEVETA.
After reviewing the responses, PAC Chairperson Mark Botomani expressed satisfaction with the explanations provided. He thanked TEVETA for addressing the queries positively during the engagement.
The committee also noted that TEVETA has K56 billion in funding arrears from the government. Botomani highlighted that TEVETA is not adequately funded for the effective implementation of various skills development programs.
“As a committee, we promise to engage the Secretary to the Treasury to ensure timely funding for TEVETA,” said Botomani. He also promised to recommend increased budget allocation to the institution for effective operations.
TEVETA Executive Director Elwine Chiwembu Sichola raised concerns about the lack of modern equipment, infrastructure, and qualified teachers at TEVETA institutions, noting that they operate with over a 50 percent vacancy rate. Resource constraints limit TEVETA’s ability to reach all constituencies at a specific time.
“Lack of modern equipment and qualified teachers affects the quality of graduates and limits our outreach to the targeted population. We appeal to the government through Parliament to allocate enough resources to modernize our equipment and recruit qualified teachers,” said Sichola.
Sichola also mentioned that the government has committed to clearing a significant part of the outstanding levy for the institution. Additionally, TEVETA has submitted a proposal to the government through the Ministry of Education to establish a Technical Teacher College for further advancement in technical skills.
Despite these challenges, TEVETA has made significant achievements, including increasing annual enrollment from 2,500 to 7,000, expanding the number of Technical Colleges from 7 to 20, establishing 22 Community Colleges, creating 56 Community Skills Development Centres, and increasing the number of courses from 5 to 21.
TEVETA was established to promote, facilitate, and regulate technical entrepreneurship and vocational education and training.
