Cyclone denies 500 000 learners education

At least 500 000 children are unable to attend school following the prolonged closure due to the impact of the damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in 12 affected districts in the Southern Region.

Child rights and protection watchdog Step Kids Awareness (Steka) has since warned about high risks of abuse and neglect of children currently sheltered in the 543 temporary camps set up by government and partners in the aftermath of the storm.

Save the Children Malawi said over 490 000 primary and secondary school learners, representing about five percent of the country’s children population, cannot attend school due to damage caused by the cyclone affected education districts where the Ministry of Education suspended classes until March 31.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Save the Children Malawi country director Ashebir Debebe is quoted as having said that even in the aftermath of the cyclone, children still have a right to an education, “but sadly, it’s rarely viewed as a priority”.

He said: “The cyclone damaged many schools across the Southern Region districts of Malawi and as a result funding is urgently needed to rehabilitate schools and roads.

“Children in Malawi have been through so much, with the cholera outbreak, followed by Cyclone Freddy. They need to get back to the classroom.”

The UK charity estimates that the deadly floods and landslides triggered by the storm from March 13 2023 directly impacted almost 140 000 children, many of whom are in camps and urgently need more funding for humanitarian response, including education.

It also said many teachers also lost their homes and need urgent support to rebuild their lives.

Last week, the government closed all schools in the affected districts and at least 230 learning facilities that withstood the damage are now being used as temporary shelters for some 553 614 displaced people.

Meanwhile, Steka executive director Godknows Maseko also said at a press briefing in Blantyre yesterday that the cyclone’s impact is severe on children with most of them becoming prone to abuse due to lack of maximum support and protection.

“These children are also prone to sexual abuse and exploitation by unscrupulous adults in the camps, thereby becoming main victims of the disaster in the circumstances,” he said.

According to Maseko, spot-checks by Steka in Blantyre established that many children in some camps are sidelined by care and support givers, which surges risks of child trafficking in the absence of proper child protection and security mechanisms.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has announced that it will run targeted early childhood development radio programmes, which it  developed in partnership with Save the Children.