Don’t vandalise school property—minister

Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima has warned against vandalism in secondary schools, saying the government will not hesitate to expel students involved in such malpractice.

She said this at Mphomwa Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Kasungu on Saturday during a tour to appreciate construction of school blocks and laboratories under the Equity with Quality and Learning at Secondary (Equals) project in the district.

Kambauwa said vandalism affects the ministry’s ability to deliver quality education as the malpractice results in destruction of learning materials, leading to closure of schools.

She said: “It is sad to see children destroying inadequate school property for reasons which can be easily sorted out, thereby risking their own future when they get chased away from school.

“The ministry will not tolerate such misconduct from the learners and we will work tirelessly with teachers and concerned parties to expel unruly learners.”

Form Two student Agnes Phiri expressed excitement with the laboratory project at the school.

“We face challenges during experiment sessions because we do not have a functioning laboratory. We thank government for constructing this facility,” she said.

With financial support from the World Bank, the Malawi Government is implementing the Equals project nationwide.