DFID dangles K300m for new schools

BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR

               Chivawa Primary School in Mchinji: Classrooms in a developed Malawi

British bilateral donor, Development Fund for International Development (DFID), has made availalbe funds for the construction of four new schools in Blantyre Urban Education District to decongest some primary schools, Maranatha Mzungu has learnt.

District Education Manageress (DEM) Ruth Samati-Kambali confirmed the development on Thursday and said new schools, which cost not less than K300 million, will greatly contribute towards the achievement of quality education saying congestion was one of the factors compromising the standards of education in the country.

Kambali explained that enrolments in most of the schools in Blantyre Urban have exceeded the recommended pupil-class of 100 pupils per class.

Current overall enrolment of Blantyre Urban schools stands at 144,000 while the average pupil-class ratio is at 157.

“One school will be constructed at Angelogoveya to decongest Kapeni Demonstration School; BCA will have a new school to decongest Naizi; then Chapima Heights to decongest Mbayani,” explained Kambali.

Malabada will also have a new school, which will cater for congested pupils from Makata, Chitsime and Nyambadwe Primary Schools.

The DEM stated that a proposal has already been submitted for the new schools, but it will be up to ministry to source funds elsewhere although DFID has already offered to support.

But Kambali could not commit herself on the actual date when the projects are expected to start because there are other logistics, which have to be sorted out before the projects could take off.

“At Angelogoveya, for example, we are facing a challenge to identify land where the school can stand. We are waiting for the Blantyre City Council to allocate us land for the projects,” she said.

“These projects should have started by July this year,” she added.

But Blantyre City Council (BCC) director of Town Planning and Estate Services Costly Chanza expressed ignorance about the development and stated they could not allocate land to the education authorities without being approached.

Chanza, however, expressed willingness to assist albeit “that would need thorough consultations”.

“The only readily available place we can allocate them now is inside Chichiri Prison…We’ve a space where a school can be constructed, but the challenge is that the school will cater for inmates only,” he said.

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