Students in Balaka district have been tipped about their rights and responsibilities that can help them to advance with their education.
The awareness campaign was conducted by Balaka Police Station at Dzimwe Secondary School in the district.
Speaking with Malawi24 in an interview, Balaka Police Deputy Spokesperson Gerald Sumaili said students are the future of Malawi and it is good for them to know their rights so that they should become responsible citizens that will contribute positively to socio-economic growth of the country.
Sumaili said students were reminded and mentored on their rights such as rights to education, good health, freedom of dressing and the responsibilities that accompany such human rights.
“Among other key notes were issues to do with vandalism of school property and dangers of drugs and substance abuse. The students were urged to stop such immoral acts especially among secondary students so that they can be building a bright future,” Sumaili told Malawi24.
In her remarks at the function, Roster Milanzi who is the coordinator of the community policing branch urged the students to be hardworking and responsible citizens by following rules and regulations of the school as well as the Malawi constitution.
Milanzi cautioned the students against acts of violence both physical and psychological that comes from bullying and teasing saying such actions negatively affects the performance of the concerned victims.
Headteacher of the school John Mizek hailed the police for organizing this auspicious meeting saying that students will be shaped into responsible learners that will be weapons of the county’s growth.
He further urged the students to make good use of the knowledge instilled in them to excel in their education and contribute positively to social and economic development of the country.
In addition, the students were tipped on some good practices when using social media
Special caution was also given to Form Four students at the school to avoid cheating during the coming Malawi School Certificate of Education exams.
The move is part of an ongoing campaign on violence against children and anti-cybercrime that rolled out last month and now is targeting both primary and secondary schools in the district.
Dzimwe Community Day Secondary school is located in the area of Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka district and it’s among the few secondary schools that were expanded with facilities such as Science and Biology laboratories, halls and boarding facilities for girls in the year 2014.
Currently, the school has 417 students of which the majority are girls who are boarders.
