Chief Justice Richard Banda given Olympic’s top award

Chief Justice Richard Banda given Olympic’s top award

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) which is the world’s biggest sports controlling body has awarded Malawi’s First Gentleman, retired Chief Justice Richard Banda a “150th anniversary of Pierre de Coubertin sport as a school of life” trophy. Banda, who is an honorary MOC member, received the top award on Tuesday at Kamuzu Palace in recognition of his contribution to domestic sports for over 30 years as a former runner, footballer and MOC chairperson. Presented on annual basis, the Pierre de Coubertin Award is given to individuals demonstrating values that are consistent with the Olympic Movement. It is named after French national Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympic Games. At the 150 Anniversary of the birth of the founder of modern Olympics,

 it has pleased the Malawi Olympic Committee (Moc) through the IOC to recognize the efforts done by Malawi’s First Gentleman in promoting the Olympic Movement. The retired Chief Justice, who is an honorary member for the national Olympic committee served in the Moc board- then Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association of Malawi (Ocgam) for about 16 years. After his association with Ocgam as well as other IOC organs both at continental and global level, he has been offering financial assistance to the Moc and other local sports bodies including boxing. Moc vice president Flora Mwandira presented the award on behalf of the Olympic body in the presence of other executive board members.

Apart from the Baron Coubertin award, Banda was also presented with the Olympic Wreath in commemoration of the just ended Mini “Olympic” Games in Lilongwe. All this, according to Moc is in recognition of his constant contribution, support and development of the Olympic Movement in Malawi. During the function, the First Gentleman made a personal donation of MK1 million towards the just-ended Mini “Olympic” Games. Mwandira expressed her committee’s gratitude for the gesture from the First Gentleman, describing the donation as timely. She said the money would go a long way in offsetting some expenses incurred during the games. Banda reportedly expressed his appreciation for the awards and recognition, saying he was humbled by the developments.

Anjimile Mtila Oponyo

Anjimile Mtila Oponyo

Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo is a Malawian development worker and education administrator. She has worked in education administration for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Development Program where she built schools in Lebanon.She received international attention when she was selected as CEO and head of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi. She is currently a principal secretary in the Ministry of Education in Malawi.

She is a graduate of George Washington University, where she received her Master's in Education and took her sabbatical at Harvard Business School. Oponyo was the CEO of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls until the project was cancelled due to lack of progress and mismanagement of funds. She is currently a civil servant working with the Malawi government.
Raising Malawi Academy for Girls

Once the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls (RMAG) project was terminated, a report was published that placed blame on Oponyo and Philippe Van Den Bossch, boyfriend of Madonna's former trainer. The report was created by philanthropic consulting firm Global Philanthropy Group, hired by the board of directors of Raising Malawi in November 2010 to help the organization restructure its strategy and approach.[6] The report implied that Oponyo and Van Den Bossch had acted outside their contracted roles. The report accused her of “outlandish expenditures”, including getting a "high salary, a car, housing, and a golf-club membership", all which were included in her contract by Madonna's aides.
Legal suit

Eight staff members of RMAG, including Oponyo, lodged the action with lawyer Charles Mpaka at the end of March 2011, claiming they were let go without proper termination procedures. The staff claims that they were being forced to sign a discriminatory termination agreement which was "unfair and unconstitutional" and included a 'confidentiality agreement' which prevents them from defending themselves against defamation and libel. Madonna's lawyer, Davis Njobvu, argued to the court that RMI was a registered trust in the United States and only provided funds for the construction and that there were no contracts signed between Raising Malawi, Inc. (RMI) and the former staff members. A Malawi court dismissed a legal action by Madonna to prevent her charity project from being sued by former employees for unfair dismissal and non-payment of benefits.All of the former RMAG staff members, except for Oponyo, have since settled with RMI.

Raising Malawi now supports education projects in Malawi through constructing community-based schools in the Kasungu District and by supporting scholarships for girls in secondary school. Madonna's visit to Malawi in April 2013 to see these schools was soured by a war of words. While Madonna stated publicly that she remained committed to the children of Malawi The government of Malawi, headed by President Joyce Banda, sister of Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo accused Madonna of lying and blackmail. Trevor Neilson, whose Global Philanthropy Group is managing Madonna's projects in Malawi, asserted that "The President of Malawi appears to be using her office to pursue the financial interests of her family."A year earlier in April 2012, at the Macy's Herald Square launch of her new fragrance Truth or Dare by Madonnain New York, Madonna said she's happy that Malawi's former vice president is now leading the country.
Personal life

Oponyo has six children.She is married to Patrick Oponyo. She is sister to the president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, who is the founder of the development and education Joyce Banda Foundation. She is sister-in-law to barrister, judge and former Malawi Chief Justice, Richard Banda.

Anjimile Mtila Oponyo to Introduce New Secondary School Curriculum Next Year

Source: Malawi News Agency
Zomba

The Final Secondary School Curriculum and Assessment Review (SSCAR) Consultative meeting with University Deans from all Universities and Colleges in the country was held in Zomba to ratify, modify and put recommendations before its implementation next year.

Principal Secretary for Basic and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Anjimile Mtila Oponyo said the meeting organized to consult the Deans from various Universities had come at the right time to make sure their contributions are included to add value to the curriculum.

Dr. Oponyo explained her ministry had consulted widely from Chitipa to Nsanje meeting heads of schools to seek their views to make the syllabus accepted as a national programme aimed at tackling the needs of the country for social, political and economic development.

Asked on what has been the major change in the proposed new syllabus, the Education PS said: "Language (Chichewa and English) teaching will be a combination of language and literature as one subject."

Dr. Oponyo further said Physical Science has been split into Physics and Chemistry from forms 1 to 4 adding emerging issues such as climate change, disaster risk management, gender, information and communication technology (ICT) were among others included.
She said her ministry found it necessary to consult the university experts to contribute on the curriculum change especially to look into the transitional part from the secondary education to university section.

The principal secretary also said her ministry is intending to put forward a recommendation to parliament to consider abolishing the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) saying the examination at the moment has no meaning because the standard formal education for employment has been raised to the Malawi School
Certificate of Education (MSCE).

However, Dr. Oponyo was quick to say the matter needed wide consultation with all sections of people to reach at a collective decision adding her ministry had no final say on the matter.

"The current situation is that even if people get the Junior Certificate, they cannot be employed. Therefore the certificate has lost its value. Should we continue spending on preparing this examination and issuing the certificates that will never be used? It's for all of us to decide," she said.
Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) Director Dr. William Susuwele said the new secondary school syllabus has taken into account, among other things, citizenship, economic development, environmental management, occupational, entrepreneurial, practical, scientific and technological skills.

He said according to the calendar in September 2014 the form 1 students will start the new syllabus then forms 2, 3, and 4 in September 2015, September 2016 and September 2017 respectively.

Dr. Susuwele said as a center of curriculum development, they decided to consult the Deans of Universities to make the syllabus rich and designed for the smooth transition from secondary school level to university or college level.

A cross section of participants from Chancellor College, Mzuzu University, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Health sciences, Catholic University, Seventh Day Adventist University, University of Livingstonia, Polytechnic and Domasi College among others, attended the meeting.