Malawi Secondary School fees catalyst for rising dropout

Aug 04, 2016 Top News 66
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Many children in rural areas are dropping out of school due to prohibitive fees in the country’s secondary schools, it has been revealed.

Chiwaya Red cross
Chiwaya poses with children (Photo: Danish Red Cross)

A Malawi Red Cross Society community volunteer made the revelations when speaking on his four year work as a change agent in his community at Ramusi 2 in Zomba.

The volunteer, Moffat Chiwaya, who focusses on getting children back into school and making sure they stay there, said many Malawians in rural areas do not have money to send their children to secondary school.

“While we managed to get the primary school children back in school fairly easy, the parents and the guardians had a hard time understanding the importance of a secondary school education. Many of them had arguments about money – that they could not afford to pay school fees and uniforms,” said Chiwaya.

Being a determined volunteer, Chiwaya worked with traditional authorities to make sure members of his village understand the importance of secondary education and send their children to school. But according to Chiwaya, complaints over the fees persisted and many secondary school students were just loafing in the village.

Fortunately, the Danish Red Cross through the Malawi Red Cross Society decided to provide school fees for the most vulnerable children in Chiwaya’s community.

All 30 children in the village who were not going to school due to lack of fees benefited from the four year programme.

“Now it was suddenly possible to make the change I had been fighting for,” Chiwaya said.

He however understands that the problem is still there in his village and the high secondary school fees will continue to deter parents from sending their children to school.

 

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66 Comments

  1. 3/4 of population in Malawi are living below poverty line so where do they think people can got money (+ useless Land Bill u are just killing poor malawians)

  2. This is worrysome i knw 3 dropouts 2 4rm lisumbwi and 1 4rm mlunguzi of wch 1 of them a very genius student is sycling kabanza now…

  3. School fee hike,land bill hike,Gorv hospital fee hike,walking fee hike,food price hike ,kumudziko pepani mwayika chilombo mumtengo.

  6. Sure becoz of free primary education more students were manage to have education but when it comes to secondary leaval they can not manage then they just stay at home because of our government DPP sakuganizira sogolo la amalawi

  9. komaso osamangobeleka ana ambilimbili ngati kuti muzidya anawo. a peasant farmer mpaka ana 8 for what. zinazi timaziyamba dala ndithu

    2. atleast ndine gojo, iwe obelekawe usamadandaule kuti zinthu zakwela coz no one is forcing you to have many children. Kuzolowela kupemphetsa basi munya muona

  10. Kodi ntchito yamisonkho tikudulidwayi mwezi ndi mwezi ndiyachani? Ine ndikuona kuti anthu amene akuti ndima advisor a bwana APM ambiri ndiotsutsa boma, bwanawa akapanda kusamala, atcheredwa kankole……

  12. Prohibitive fees?In secondary schools? Most government secondiary schools are charging less than K10,000 as fees, unless if its a boarding school . Surely that’s not prohibitive.

  13. Some of u simukudziwa mwina,ur jst saying bola kamuzu kaya who soeva u call him,kodi samadulitsa makhadi by force ukakhala ndimimba sakhala amai ndi kadi awri?nde kunalibe osiya sch nthaw imeneyo,macollage monse akumpoto okhakha oz that freedm?muluzi free primary ukudziwa mene adroper sch nthawi imene ija kukathamangira upandu?plz lets oppose zoenera plz

  14. I started sch wen fz oz 85 @lisumbwi Igraduated @2100 per term @the same sch(yr 1998-2001) oznt that an increment?Dpp wc ur are insouting 2de inalipo and I evn failled 2 pay 4 secnd semister in my collage, mznt that dpp

  15. Ndine mlomwe wakuphalombe not kuthyolo I hate this DPP Government and it’s Mps anthu oipa mitima zedi osaganidzira anthu ovutika they are busy looking in their pockets but God is watching

  16. Let’s thanks UDF government for free primary education I was waiting that DPP will introduce with free secondary as well but nothing is there then what is the meaning of having only PLC certificate without JCE and MSCE nex election people should think wisely before vote we shoul remove this pipo from government

    1. iremember when iwas in std 2 @mponda primary school in zomba nthawi ya UDF ndinalandilako ma exercise book 10 kkk school imkAkoma time imeneija

    2. Fokof…Iwe ndye mbuzi basi,wasted sperms,Vuto losungira chiphwisi nthawi yaitali chimazunguzira thupi lonse mpaka mu brain as a result umayankhula zopanda nzeru,
      Can you differentiate maphunziro amunthawi ya kamuzu amene anali olipira ndi maphunziro Aulele amunthawi ya Bakali?
      Komanso mukapanga zonse kukhala zaulele maphunzirowo kuti ayende ndalama zake muzitenga kuti?

  19. when was it revealed and to who? kkkkk zovuta,school kumalawi wz cheap ife timalipira 100 smthng,pano moyo ukusintha,dziko likusintha,population ikusintha,we cant expect thngs to b the same,wavuta ndi umphawi kwathu kuno

  20. Ena mukadya ndi kukhuta mumaona ngat enaso ali ngatinu. Munthu kumudzi akusamba opanda sopo, kudya zopanda mchere nde uziti tizizidalira, how? Feez yakwela kma anthu akuvutika kt alipile feez nde asasiye xool? Ena mumalemba zamkhuto apa chifukwa mavuto simukuwaziwa kma tsiku lina muzaziona.

    2. Mmodzi wake ndine ndasiya makolo anga sangathe kundilipilira. What i should do now is just stealin. My future has killed now! Or else i will be bewitchin people to reduce population.

  25. Thus stupid, the Govt must do something about education, thus why young childres are getting married. No future for our kids now. Yu are failing to increase salary for civil servants while school fees is hike,,,,,,,,,ndiye azikalipira chani?,,,

  27. My Fellow malawians learn to do things on our own dont depend on Government in everything.I wonder why pipo just blame only the rulling party & the president the Government is build of rulling & the opposition they do things together so anthu onse omwe amagwira ntchito zabwino mdziko muno akuthandiza chani ku boma akungozikundikira ndalama zina zokuba koma kumanena boma kuti sirikupanga kanthu mupite m’maiko anzathu mukaone ngati kuli sukulu yotchipa kapena yaulele.Anthu ophunzira bwino onse amangokakamira m’maofesi mmalo mopanga zomwe aphunzirazo kunja mkumalemba anthu ena ntchito lazy pipo talk much on Hardworkers

    2. Brother i think u don’t know what u’re saying.who have power in the family between the father and kids?a president is a head of the country he need to be blamed,things are getting worse because of him.raising fees is killing poor childrens future.

    3. In southa africa theres no xool fees in secondary xool so if u say….mmayiko ena xool fees ndizokwere…which countries r u talking about?

  29. dziko lamtendere koma mavuto osaneneka sizinaoneke, kodi tipita liti kukanani nanga mchipululu mesa timadyako mana ndi nyama komanso madzi abwino? oh God hear our prayers. the voice of the poor student where on earth malawi is leading us to?

  32. Thats is very stupid. dats why many children akumangomwa mowa ndikusuta fodya because their parents can not manage to pay fees and ana akumudzi akumangolawirira kupha mbewa coz of fees, feez chikweleleni kma nothng change. ndalamazo amatani nazo? maziphuzitsi til now not yet paid. ndalama zawo zili kt? ma lend alipira chan? azidya chan? basi tchito kumangogona nyumba ya malamulo kwinaku akukambirana zopusa zawozo osaganizira kt amzawo kumudzi akuchta kusowa k10 ya mchere yomwe ndiye school azikapeleka chani? mabatire awo? foolish gvment!

  36. If we dnt hve money it doesnt mean the xool is expensive. There has never been a fee hike at sec xools for over ten years now. It was proposed last year but others turned it down. Sec xools are facing more challenges hence a need to raise fees

  37. Iwe zinthu zikukwera mtengo dziko lilonse, koma chifukwa cha umbuli wako ndiye ukuona ngati ndi Malawi yekhayo. Comment, izigwirizana ndi nkhani osaphatikizapo ndikukwera mtengo kwa sugar ai apa.

  43. Fosek!!! Mot Samadziwa A Bomawo Kt Fees Ikakwera Kwambiri Ana Azilephera Xul?? Mmesa Akupangira Dala Zonsez, Aaaaalllaaaah!!

  44. Mupange compare nd mayiko ena,low diet bcoz of due to handful amount of fees paid.takaoneni nyemba ziwiri m’mbale za soop ochuluka,masamba odula nd nkhwangwa oti ukatafuna zosala ulavule ngat mzimbe.nkhani nd yot ntchito anthu sakulembedwa akamaliza xool,mpamba ot agwire ntchto za manja alibe better ku Jon kapena kuba.ena nd awa akupha albino.

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