Zomba Catholic Secondary School, commonly known as Box 2, on Saturday celebrated 75 years of existence with a call to support the construction of a 200-bed hostel to address accommodation challenges.
The event’s organising committee chairperson Leonard Kalindekafe made the call after Bishop George Desmond Tambala of the Zomba Catholic Diocese led several others in laying a foundation stone for the construction of the hostel.
Kalindekafe, who is also an alumni of the school and the executive dean and associate professor at the Ndata School of Climate Change and Earth Sciences at Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) in Thyolo, said after the committee made an assessment of the institution’s challenges, they came up with accommodation as the one which needed urgent attention.
He said the construction of the new hostel would cost about K600 million.
Said Kalindekafe: “Of course the school has challenges of library books, apparatus in laboratories, and computers, among others. But we noted that shortage of space for accommodation should be tackled first.
“We will carry out various fundraising activities and also appeal to well-wishers and alumni to assist in the ambitious project.”
In his remarks, Bishop Tambala said his diocese has outlined a strategic plan which seeks to address the challenges of education, among other areas in the diocese.
“Cases of school dropouts can better be tackled by raising awareness on the importance of school,” he said.
The school’s head teacher Francis Jumbe said the hostels were built to accommodate about 280 students. n
