Children’s Parliament tackles learning issues
Children’s Parliament in Salima has singled out shortage of classroom blocks as one of the challenges that affect their right to learning in the district.
They said this on Friday when a consortium of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) facilitated a Children’s Parliament in the district.
Speaker of the Children’s Parliament Gift Phiri said shortage of classroom blocks and lack of learning materials were challenges that needed immediate attention.
“In other schools, we only have two classroom blocks for upper classes such as Standard Seven and Eight while lower classes learn under trees,” she said.
Phiri also asked authorities to address sexual abuse among girls to prevent pregnancies and early marriages.
Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Principal Secretary for Administration and Finance Nwazi Mnthambala called on stakeholders to sustain the Children’s Parliament initiative.
She said the suggestions tackled during the Children’s Parliament sessions will be included in government’s plans.
“I encourage Salima District Council to take the issues seriously. The ministry will take the views on board and we will share them with other sectors for direction and policy formulation,” said Mnthambala.
Speaking on behalf of other NGOs, Save the Children senior area operations and humanitarian manager Steve Kantimaleka highlighted the importance of giving children a platform to debate issues affecting them.
“We are a child rights focused organisation and we always ensure that children are protected. For example, we want to ensure that children are learning in a conducive environment,” he said.
With support from Sweden Sveride, Save the Children, World Vision Malawi, Women’s Legal Resources Centre and Kindle Opharn Outreach organised the Children’s Parliament
