Nsanje Lalanje legislator Bilal Karim (independent) has pledged to promote education in his constituency to ensure that needy students continue with their education.
His sentiments come after he bailed out 33 students who were on the verge of withdrawing from Nsanje Secondary School due to lack of fees. The parliamentarian cleared their fees amounting to K8.4 million.
In an interview on Sunday, Karim said while from next term students will no longer pay school fees, he will still help them in other areas.
Karim, who rolled out a bursary scheme four years ago, also supports students in various colleges and universities.
“Education is the best thing we can give our people and, as duty-bearers, we should always be willing to help,” he said.
Last month, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation Joseph Mwanamvekha announced in Parliament that government has allocated K32 billion to fund free secondary education starting January 2026.
Form One student Chikumbutso James said his parents could not afford to pay fees for his first term.
“My parents are peasant farmers. When I was selected to Nsanje Secondary School, I was on the verge of withdrawing due to lack of fees,” he said.
Another Form One student Fatima Hussien said her parents told her they did not have money for fees.
“But the legislator bailed me out. I will work hard to repay the gesture,” she said.
The school’s head teacher Rogers M’bande thanked Karim for the gesture.
“Each student pays K250 000, which means that for 32 it was K8.2 million but we had another student who owed us K200 000 which took the bill to K8. 4 million,” he said.
M’bande appealed to other well-wishers to suppport the students achieve their dreams
