Rumphi District Council has handed over an 80-bed girls’ hostel at Junju Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kachulu in the district.
The council has also handed over a two-classroom block at Mdimwa Primary School in T/A Mwalweni.
The council constructed the facilities under the World Bank-funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) project. The hostel cost K140 million while the classroom block had K57 million invested.
Speaking on Tuesday during the handover of the facilities, Rumphi district commissioner Emmanuel
Bulukutu said the hostel will motivate girls to remain in school.
“In the past, the CDSS recorded zero percent pass rate three times for Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations. It was difficult for parents who sent their children to school to end up failing. I hope performance will improve with this hostel,” he said.
On the other hand, Bulukutu said the classrooms improve the learning environment at Mdimwa Primary School.
In her remarks, Junju CDSS Form Four student Faith Mwandira said they travel long distances to school.
She said travelling such distances has its own challenges, including arriving late or meeting men who make sexual advances.
“With the hostel, we will access education easily. We will also be able to study at night,” said Mwandira.
Mdimwa Primary School head teacher Khaula Msiska said the structure will attract more children in the next academic year.
“Many children stopped coming to school due to shortage of classrooms,” he said.
Rumphi District Council received at least K1 billion under Gesd to construct a pharmacy, police unit, youth resource centre, market shelters, an extension planning area office and teacher development centre
