About

The Department of Technical Education is one of three departments under the Faculty of Education and Media Studies, the other two being the Language and Communication Department and the Journalism Department. It started operating in September 1981, initially operating under the Faculty of Applied Sciences, and only later moving to the Faculty of Education and Media Studies. The Department offers three undergraduate degrees. 

What We Currently Offer

The Department started offering a Technical Education (Science) degree to prospective teachers starting in 1983. The goal is to deliver a program in technical and vocational education that is academically sound and focused on the needs of the stakeholders. The Department also offers an Education (Technical) degree. In 2004, the University of Malawi Senate approved an Education (Business Studies) degree, which started being offered by the Department in 2005. The goal of this programme is to address the needs in the delivery of business and computer courses, help in the management of the schools and colleges. Broadly speaking, the aims of all three programmes is to provide training for technical, science, or business teachers or trainers who may be employed in secondary schools, technical colleges, and vocational training. 

Over the years much effort has been made to review the curricula for all three degrees, keeping them in line with various development and poverty reduction goals as articulated by the government of Malawi. This has been achieved in consultation with various partners, including those from the University of Regina, Canada; the Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA); the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST); and representatives from various technical colleges and the industry. The result has been improvements in the way the degrees are offered but also in their curricula. 

Other Ventures

The academic members in the Department of Technical Education are among the most illustrious at the Polytechnic. Not only do they engage in various academic research projects but also, they are engaged in various outreach activities at schools and technical colleges across the country.