By Sanenje Nkhani:
Association for the Teaching of English in Malawi (ATEM) says all is set for the 2023 Drama Festival slated for 18th February in Lilongwe.
The festival, which will be held under the theme The Role of Youth in Combating Gender Based Violence (GBV), is targeting students from secondary schools in the central western division.
In an interview, ATEM President, Lucius Zimba said students will compete on several issues happening in the country especially on the role of the youth in addressing GBV.
“This is not an ordinary festival; we want students to perform in English which will help them have a better understanding of things when it comes to learning English in their schools and how it can impact their day to day lives,” said Zimba.
He added that there is a lot that the youth need to learn outside the classroom and one way is to make sure that they are engaged in different activities that contribute to their personal development.
Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) Executive Director, Benedicto Kondowe said when violence is prevalent in schools, learning environment becomes unsafe leading to high dropout rate hence the need to involve the youth in addressing GBV.
“A good number of students will improve their understanding of GBV. This festival will help boost youths morale since they will be exposed to building their self-esteem and confidence which is important for continued engagement as education is not a matter of being in class only but knowing other aspects of life,” said Kondowe.
