Many children in rural areas are dropping out of school due to prohibitive fees in the country’s secondary schools, it has been revealed.
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.
66 thoughts on “Malawi Secondary School fees catalyst for rising dropout”
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Ophunzira adaphunzira kale.
Has govt hiked fees for sec xool education? Not in the know.
komaso osamangobeleka ana ambilimbili ngati kuti muzidya anawo. a peasant farmer mpaka ana 8 for what. zinazi timaziyamba dala ndithu
Iweyo ndi gojo
atleast ndine gojo, iwe obelekawe usamadandaule kuti zinthu zakwela coz no one is forcing you to have many children. Kuzolowela kupemphetsa basi munya muona
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……
UDF anali madolo nkhani yamaphunziro, nsima chimanga cha yellow, mijigo, miseu ndizina zambiri
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.
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
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
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
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
iremember when iwas in std 2 @mponda primary school in zomba nthawi ya UDF ndinalandilako ma exercise book 10 kkk school imkAkoma time imeneija
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?
ana osowa xool fiz nkumasekelera pa photo et?
When u vote for a fool expect foolishness
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
Inali K72 bambo; makope aulele, akatha timasithisa mkupatsidwanso ena.
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.
Thats malawi for today
mmmmm plz pple dont blame the government for the drop out of of school it started b4 the PPM
sumamvela et tafasa wamva ppm yatn
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.
Aaaaa vuto ndilako man nde kubakoso chifukwa cha kukwera kwa fees ?
Education is the Key to succes,Goverment must do something,otherwise this will read many children in early marrieges.
Ok! Welcom mukhare mbava sopano
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?,,,
peter munthalika is worse president as perhaps in history of malawi!