ATEM thrilled with sponsorship, calls for more support

The Association for the Teaching of English in Malawi (ATEM) says increased investment in secondary school art competitions could significantly improve learners’ English proficiency and overall education quality.

ATEM President, Davie Mpaso, made the call during this year’s Standard Bank ATEM finals in Lilongwe, where Lilongwe Girls Secondary School emerged winners among 18 finalists.

Mpaso noted that this year’s competition saw overwhelming participation and impressive performances, made possible through sponsorship from Standard Bank Malawi and Mobi School.

Mpaso: We wanted to send a strong message.

“We have had wonderful performances this year. We brought together 18 schools from across the country, and the competition was outstanding. This year we focused on the theme of ‘Human Trafficking,’ which is a pressing issue affecting many young people. We wanted to use this platform to send a strong message,” Mpaso said.

Standard Bank Malawi, one of the sponsors, said their support was inspired by both the theme of human trafficking and their passion for arts and culture.

According to the bank’s Head of Brand and Marketing, Tamanda Ng’ombe, they contributed K20 million to the event.

“As part of celebrating arts in Malawi, we felt we should not only support the end products of arts and culture but also nurture talent in schools, just as ATEM is doing,” Ng’ombe explained.

Lilongwe Girls Secondary School walked away with K2 million for first place, followed by Stella Maris Secondary School with K1.5 million, while St. Mariagoretti came third with K1 million.