Teachers and learners in Rumphi District have expressed excitement with new classroom blocks constructed at Chirambo and Mdimwa primary schools, saying they will create more learning spaces.
The facilities, constructed under the performance-based World Bank-funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) project, are also expected to improve enrolment in the schools.
Besides the infrastructure, Rumphi District Council also furnished the classrooms with desks to create a conducive learning environment.
Chirambo Primary School head teacher Justice Nyirongo said the school, in Bolero Education Zone, previously struggled with inadequate classroom space, forcing some learners to sit on the floor in overcrowded classes.
He said the situation affected learning and discouraged some girls from actively participating in class.
Said Nyirongo: “The construction of the two-classroom block has brought relief to both teachers and learners because it has reduced congestion and improved the teacher-pupil ratio.
“We hope to surpass the 96 percent pass rate we recorded in last year’s Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education examinations.”
Standard Eight learner Abigail Chirambo said the modern classrooms have created a conducive learning environment that allows learners to concentrate better during lessons.
“The classrooms are spacious and we now have enough desks. Connection to electricity has also given us more time to study and this will help us improve our academic performance,” she said.
At Mdimwa Junior Primary School, head teacher Kapumba Khaula Msiska said the facility has contributed to a rise in enrolment from 213 to 350 learners while also helping to reduce absenteeism.
Rumphi District Council director of planning and development Frank Mfune said the projects seek to improve service delivery through addressing infrastructure gaps.
The facility at Chirambo cost K99 million while that at Mdimwa cost K57 million.
