Rural Education Transformed: African Leadership University Student Constructs Nursery School
The project, which commenced operations in 2021, is already yielding positive outcomes, with over 50 children successfully graduating from nursery school and progressing to primary education.
BLANTYRE, Malawi— In a passionate endeavour to elevate the quality of education in rural areas, Ida Geoffrey, an undergraduate student pursuing Social Sciences at African Leadership University in Mauritius, has taken a remarkable step by constructing a nursery school for the children of Tathere village, in Traditional Authority Chigalu in Blantyre, writes Brenda Pensulo.
Using her school stipend, Ida Geoffrey initiated the construction of the school in 2017 after recognising a critical issue: many children in her area lacked access to early childhood education, resulting in a subpar performance in primary schools.
Witnessing the academic challenges confronting children in her region, Ida Geoffrey embarked on offering early childhood development (ECD) services, establishing the Tathere Nursery School.
She subsequently made the extraordinary decision to use her own school allowance to fund the construction of this vital educational institution.
The project, which commenced operations in 2021, is already yielding positive outcomes, with over 50 children successfully graduating from nursery school and progressing to primary education.
Expressing her motivation, Ida Geoffrey stated, "Through my personal experiences and observation, I have come to recognise the significant disparities that exist between rural and urban education. This has ignited a strong sense of determination within me to drive meaningful change in this area."
In addition to providing educational support, the university student extends assistance to the children by providing basic necessities like food and clothing.
The overarching vision of this project is to challenge the misconception that children from rural areas cannot excel in primary schools due to a lack of early childhood education.
Instead, it aims to stimulate the minds and enhance the cognitive capacities of these children for improved performance at an early age.
Elena Zachariah, a mother whose child benefits from the project, attested to the positive impact of the school on her child's education.
She expressed hope that this early education would contribute significantly to her child's academic journey.
However, Zachariah also raised concerns about the challenges some children face while receiving an education, particularly hunger, which at times leads to a lack of attention in class.
Zachariah said, "Due to the coming in of this school, the lives of our children have really changed because many of these children were just staying at home without going to school, waiting for their time to start standard one. But we are worried that some children come to class without taking any food up until 12 o’clock, when they knock off. So we see this as not good because we cannot be keeping the children until 12 o'clock for them to knock off and eat."
A teacher at the school, Esnart Maulidi, noted remarkable progress in the children's performance since the school's inception.
She pointed out that the introduction of the nursery school has significantly improved their performance in Standard 1.
Maulidi also highlighted the issue of some children attending classes without having eaten, resulting in drowsiness and a lack of attention. Additionally, some students come to school in dirty clothes, which affects their classroom focus.
Ida Geoffrey praised her community for their support in advancing the project and acknowledged the ongoing effort to raise awareness and encourage more community members to actively participate and contribute to this noble cause.
Ida Geoffrey, a 22-year-old native of Tathere village in Lirangwe, Blantyre, received a scholarship from MasterCard in 2020 and is currently pursuing an honours degree in social sciences at African Leadership University in Mauritius.