 have been commemorating the 2024 edition of the Safer Internet Day.){kind=link}
Malawi: The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority has been commemorating the 2024 edition of Safer Internet Day. The team of MACRA has been conducting outreach programmes to the various schools in the country.
As per the update shared by the organization, they reached out to over a thousand students from five schools in the central region. The schools in the central region that formed part of the outreach programme include:
- Njolomole Secondary School
- Ntcheu Secondary School
- Umbwi Secondary School
- Dedza Secondary School
- Bwaila Secondary School
In the central region, MACRA partnered with the following organizations Centre for Youth and Children’s Affairs (CEYCA), Zico Forward Foundation, and Centre for Child Affairs.
Issues on the agenda include digital skills, good cyber hygiene, navigating the spread of fake news and cyberbullying.
At Bwaila Secondary School, CEYCA Executive Director Desmond Mhango observed the issues that the youngsters are facing. According to him, students are becoming victims of different online vices such as abuse and fraud mainly due to a lack of knowledge.
Mhango said most youths especially students are being abused in different ways by people who take advantage of their ignorance. Further, he described the outreach program as critical in combating ignorance and enhancing knowledge among the students.
“The biggest challenge is lack of knowledge, hence fraudsters are exploiting that aspect,” said Mhango.
The outreach programme was also conducted in the southern region, where the MACRA stakeholders visited Michesu and Phalombe Secondary Schools in the Phalombe district.
The team in the south comprises Boniface Mandere from Article III and a cyber security specialist Exile Njoka.
The team in the southern province has shared that children and young adults have access to digital communication services.
Facilities are available both at school through ICT lessons and at home. However, the biggest challenge is that the children have not been given the necessary tools to navigate cyberspace safely.
The school authorities were happy to host the team of MACRA for the benefit of the students. The management thanked the team for visiting their schools and tackling the issues they are facing.
The school outreach program aims to provide children and young adults with the necessary digital skills to navigate cyberspace safely. The organization seeks to ensure that youngsters can utilize the positive opportunities digital technology offers.
