Chief courts Fawema to halt school dropouts
Increased school dropout rates among girls in Traditional Authority Kabudula in Lilongwe has forced chiefs in the area to court the Forum for African Women Educationalists (Fawema) Malawi chapter- (Fawema) to intervene.
Group Village Head Tseketse said early marriages and long distance from schools have affected girl’s education in the area.
Available statistics show that four out of 10 girls at Kazire, Chiswere and Chiotha primary schools hardly reach secondary school.
“Most girls get enticed by businesspersons here and that leads to teen pregnancies and eventually early marriages,” said the chief.
According to him, among other problems in the area, most parents there encourage girls to marry early so they can be paid some money.
“The situation is so serious that T/A Kabudula has introduced stiff penalties for any person found to have impregnated a girl. The punishment ranges from paying a cow to banishment from the village,” said Tseketse on Wednesday.
Speaking during an Open Day marking the establishment of the clubs at Kabudula Primary School, Fawema project officer Chifundo Fukiza said they decided to intervene after being alarmed by the situation.
The project in T/A Kabudula are being funded by the African Women Development Fund.
