Diploma teachers locked out of recruitment

Unemployed diploma-holding teachers have been dealt a fresh blow after the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said they cannot be recruited under the current Establishment Warrant.

The Ministry clarified that the decision is because Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent is now the minimum entry qualification.

The Ministry made the position in a July 10, 2026 letter responding to an appeal by the Forum for Unemployed Diploma Teachers (FUDT), which had asked Government to consider recruiting unemployed diploma-holding teachers into the public teaching service.

Secretary for Education, Science and Technology Ken Ndala said the minimum entry qualification for appointment to the secondary school teaching service at Grade I is a Bachelor of Education degree or its equivalent.

“Consequently, diploma qualifications no longer constitute the prescribed entry qualification for recruitment into positions established under the current warrant,” Ndala said.

He said the Ministry is unable to recruit unemployed diploma-holding teachers into positions governed by the current Establishment Warrant because doing so would be inconsistent with approved establishment conditions and recruitment requirements.

The position came as the Government Teaching Service Commission had recently advertised Grade I teacher positions in various secondary schools across the country, with the recruitment window running from June 27 to July 10, 2026.

The advert listed a Bachelor of Education or a general degree with a University Certificate of Education (UCE) from an accredited institution among the qualifications for non-serving applicants.

The Ministry’s response, however, concerns positions established under the current Establishment Warrant and does not affect teachers who were previously recruited under arrangements where diploma qualifications were accepted.

According to Ndala, the Ministry continues to support serving teachers who were recruited under previous Establishment Warrants when diploma qualifications were accepted as entry qualifications.

He said such teachers are encouraged to upgrade their academic qualifications, subject to government policy and the availability of resources, to enable them to meet the requirements of the current Establishment Warrant.

The Ministry also said teachers employed under the previous Establishment Warrant on the basis of diploma qualifications remain eligible for career progression within the teaching service.

Such teachers may be considered for promotion to Teacher I after satisfactorily serving in their current grade for at least four years, subject to the availability of vacancies and compliance with other applicable promotion requirements, Ndala said.

FUDT had also proposed balanced recruitment, opportunities for upgrading, and the utilisation of diploma teachers in areas experiencing teacher shortages.

The Ministry said it valued the proposals and would consider them during ongoing policy reviews and broader teacher workforce planning aimed at strengthening the education sector.

The Ministry said it remained committed to working with relevant stakeholders to ensure Malawi has an adequately qualified teaching workforce capable of delivering quality education in line with Government priorities, the National Education Sector Investment Plan and the aspirations of Malawi 2063.