Well-wishers donate desks to address shortage in Chikwawa
Mambala Primary School opened in 1997 and has an enrollment of 800 learners against 9 teachers comprising 8 males and 1 female.
CHIKWAWA, Malawi- In an effort to address the acute shortage of desks at Mambala Primary School under Konzere Education Zone in Chikwawa, Member of Parliament for Chikwawa South Illias Karim and the Muslim Association of Malawi on Monday donated 100 desks to the institution worth K8 million, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
"Shortage of desks was one of the major challenges affecting the learners at the school," Karim said.
Karim observed that many learners were sitting on the floor which he said was posing great challenges especially to girl learners.
"Apart from desks there are a number of key issues which demand to be addressed such as schoolblocks, teachers houses, offices just to name but a few," he said.
The parliamentarian was quick to appeal to both teachers and learners to care for the donated items for them to last longer.
"Damaging or vandalism of the desks will be a setback to the development of the school saying there will be no progress," cautioned the lawmaker.
In his remarks, Mambala Primary School's Headteacher Chance Masiyamphoka hailed the parliamentarian for bailing out his school with desks.
He said the arrival of the desks will ease the dirtying of clothes which learners were meeting whenever they sat on the floor.
The headteacher also said the arrival of the desks will force the authorities to write to the Malawi National Examinations Board to consider giving the school a center number so learners can write exams at the school.
"Our learners were forced to travel to Konzere Primary School as a center for writing examinations because of lack of desks," he alleged.
Mambala Primary School opened in 1997 and has an enrollment of 800 learners against 9 teachers comprising 8 males and 1 female.