Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka says making secondary education free must be complemented by efforts to remove other barriers such as long distances to school.
The minister said this on Monday at St Anthony Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Thondwe, Zomba District during the launch of the Mobility’s Role in Reducing Child Marriages Project in which students will receive bicycles to ease their mobility challenges to school.
Under the project, World Bicycle Relief and Campaign for Female Education in Malawi (Camfed) with support from Children’s Investment Fund Foundation will distribute about 13 500 buffalo bicycles to vulnerable learners in 17 districts to improve access to education and help reduce child marriages.
Msaka said the bicycle initiative complements the government’s policy to abolish mandatory fees for secondary education by helping learners overcome mobility challenges and giving them more time and energy to concentrate on their studies.
“I have the empirical evidence that those that have time to study are the ones that do better in education,” he said.
World Bicycle Relief managing director Anthony Kinnard said distance remains a major barrier to education in rural Malawi with long and unsafe journeys contributing to lateness, absenteeism, school dropout, early pregnancies and child marriages, particularly among girls.
Camfed Malawi board chairperson McKnight Kalanda called for collective efforts from government and other stakeholders to ensure girls remain in school and realise their potential.
“Bicycles alone cannot end child marriages. There is a need for concerted efforts from families, communities, schools, traditional leaders, government, civil society organisations and girls and boys themselves,” he said.
Children’s Investment Fund Foundation representative Brenda Laguna said the initiative was more than a bicycle distribution programme, describing the bicycles as tools that could help learners pursue their educational aspirations.
Form Three student at St Anthony CDSS, Joyce Dinesi, who travels about 10 kilometres to school, said the bicycles will help protect learners from abuse and exploitation
