Magga in schoolreadmission drive
People in Traditional Authority Kachindamoto in Dedza District have commended Malawi Girl Guides Association (Magga) for championing interventions to encourage girls to return to school.
Speaking on Saturday during a football bonanza aimed at disseminating messages against child marriages, group village head Chikololere said girls who dropped out due to marriages and teen pregnancies were back in school.
He said the area experienced high school dropout rate in the past due to early marriages and poverty that prompted girls to venture into small-scale businesses.
“Through the creation of different groups for girls, teachers, parents and others, most girls are now in school. Girls who quit school due to pregnancy and various problems, including menstrual hygiene poverty, are back in school,” said Chikololere.
Golomoti Ward councillor Martin Dengu said girls in the area have gained knowledge and access to sexual and reproductive health solutions leading to a reduction in unplanned pregnancies and early marriages.
Tapezana Primary School deputy head teacher Etiace Katengeza said the project has empowered girls to report abuses they face in the community.
Magga chief commissioner Gertrude Binali Ndhlovu said collaboration with different stakeholders has contributed to the programme’s success.
“We are working with everybody to ensure girls go back to school,” she said.
Magga is implementing a project to protect girls from child marriages with support from the United Nations-Joint Programme on Girls Education.
The Ministry of Education introduced the readmission policy to allow learners who dropped out of school for various reasons to return.
According to the 2023 Educational Management Information System, girls drop out of school due to, among others, unplanned pregnancies, early marriages, menstrual hygiene poverty and long distance to school.
