By Sopani Ng’ambi

Pupils at Kaswiti Primary School in Mzimba District are at risk of not achieving their academic goals as they lack access to quality education due to the poor learning environment at school.

Kaswiti Primary School, which falls under the Education Division of Mzimba North, has two classroom blocks covered with iron sheets and a block of thatch that leaks when it rains.

According to the school principal, Pius Tembo, learners from different classes are forced to use the same classroom due to the challenge.

“We face a lot of challenges here. For example, during lessons, learners in levels 4 and 5 use a single classroom, like those in levels 7 and 8,” Tembo said.

“When the rains come, things get worse. Our thatched-roof classroom is leaking heavily, a situation that disrupts lessons and thus spoils a brighter future for learners,” Tembo added.

As well as having a few dilapidated blocks, the school also has inadequate staff accommodation, as there is only one small house.

“The school doesn’t have enough houses for the teachers so we live far from it so we have travel problems because the roads here are bad, especially during the rainy season,” Tembo said. .

In addition, from a hygiene point of view, the school is in a terrible state because the students use poorly constructed and dirty toilets, thus putting their lives in danger because the situation would lead to epidemics.

Meanwhile, in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 4, access to quality education, a Mzuzu-based non-governmental organization called Citizen Impact, in collaboration with the community of Kaswiti, has launched a campaign to collect funds for materials to build the school block and other structures needed for the school.

Founder of Citizen Impact Organization, Chimwemwe Banda, who also spoke on behalf of the people of Kaswiti, said that after realizing the importance of education, they saw fit to embark on the fundraising initiative. funds.

“Knowing that education is important and requires a good learning environment, we decided to engage the community in building and rehabilitating the necessary structures for the school,” Banda said.

“So far we have successfully made bricks for the school block and toilets, but we still need more support from different stakeholders,” Banda added.

Kaswiti primary school has 330 learners including 176 girls and 154 boys.

If Malawi is to meet the challenges faced by schools like Kaswiti, it would need to recruit more teachers, build and rehabilitate school infrastructure and ensure that teachers enjoy good welfare.