First Lady for better opportunities for girls

First Lady Gertrude Mutharika has stressed the need to provide a good learning environment for girls to enable them to attain better education and contribute to national development.

The First Lady said this after laying a foundation stone for girls’ hostels at Khwalala Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Mulanje on Wednesday.

Construction of the hostels, to cost about K36 million and accommodate 80 girls, is being funded by Plan Malawi in partnership with the First Lady’s Beautify Malawi (Beam) Trust in support of government’s efforts in advancing girls education in the country.

Mutharika commended Plan Malawi for the work it is doing in ensuring that children in Malawi have a chance to good education.

Earlier, Plan Malawi country director Lilly Omondi said when she met the First Lady a few months ago, they both agreed that keeping girls in school through primary education was manageable, but the challenge came in secondary schools which require more resources.

She said it is on this note that Plan Malawi, in conjunction with Beam Trust, decided to take part in eradicating the problem by building two girls’ hostels at Khwalala CDSS.

Enelless Mayeso, a Form Four student at Khwalala CDSS, speaking in an interview, said girls at the school face a lot of problems because of lack of boarding facilities.

She said some of them travel 20 kilometres to and from school daily.