Dowa District Acting Education Manager (DEM) Josephy Chafukira has asked members of the Education Service Committee of the Dowa council to take a leading role in monitoring School Improvement Grant (SIG) intensively for the improvement of schools in the district.
Chafukira said intense monitoring of this grant will ensure that the maximum resources schools are receiving from the development partners are being used for the maximum use of learners and for the betterment of the schools.
Speaking during a committee meeting held at the Dowa boma, Chafukira informed members of the Education Service Committee that payments of SIG phase 1 was done with 12 zones of the district and the remaining 8 would be paid in the next funding.
Chafukira said in addition to SIG, the district’s office has managed to pay Zonal Improvement Grant (ZIG) saying each zone had received an allocation of K500, 000 for smooth running of Teacher Development Centres (TDCs) of the district.
“Nagwira primary school did not receive SIG in the previous time due to the wrong account number which was submitted to the office,” he said.
The DEM assured the members that the school management of Nagwira would equally receive the money after corrections at the bank.
He therefore recommended for intense monitoring so that records are kept properly by all the schools for transparency and accountability purposes.
In one of the previous full council meeting for the Dowa District Council, outspoken Dowa West Kayembe ward councillor, Simeon Nyemba, accused Primary Education Advisors (PEAs) of keeping secrets towards the operation of ZIG funds saying most of the teachers are not aware of this fund.
Nyemba said it is disappointing to note that schools are contributing to the TDCs in form of casual smart dressing days, for payment of watchmen, water and electricity without knowing that TDCs have a special fund in the name of ZIG.
He urged the Education authorities in the district to start bringing to book all headteachers, school management committees and PEAs who are suspected to have enriched themselves at the expense of the poor of their schools in the district.
Mumayamba ndinuwo kudya,mmene ma head amasusukila ndindalama zimenezi zoti ndizachitukuko timava inu.community ikadandawula mumayamba ndinu muli ngati phuzitsi walakwa kambilanani chifukwa atachoka ife sitikupatsani wina.moti simudziwa kuti mau amenewa mumawapatsa mphavu zambiri zochita zomwe akufuna,community ili chetee! maphuziro akulowa pasi.
how can a local guy do that mufuna atukwanidwe?
That’s true, especially madzianjuchi school in machinga.