Airtel Malawi has handed over two school blocks, four toilets and 80 two-seater desks to Mkuyu Primary School in Chiradzulu and the school has been upgraded to a full primary school.
At a hand over ceremony which was held on Wednesday 31st August, Airtel Malawi Managing Director Charles Kamoto, said the gesture is part of the mobile phone service provider’s corporate social responsibility.
Kamoto said the institution came to Malawi to help the government in addressing some of the challenges the citizenry face in their day-to-day life, hence the company’s involvement in education matters.
He said Malawi can easily development if children are kept in schools.
He added that upon noticing that the school had only two blocks, Airtel saw it proper to add two more blocks so as to allow senior primary school learners get their education from the school.
“This is a great day to both us as Airtel Malawi plc and also to communities here as we handed over these two school blocks, four toilets and 80 desks. Airtel is so much committed to help the Malawi government in addressing some of the challenges people are facing.
“We were so much concerned hearing that Mkuyu being a junior primary school, learners from standard 5 to standard 8, were traveling long distances, crossing rivers which is so risky especially during rainy season. We are so hopeful that this will bring a change,” said Kamoto.
Kamoto while urging the community to take care of the facility, asked the Chiradzulu district education office to provide to the school some additional teachers who are supposed to teach over 500 senior primary school learners who are expected to use the new classes next term.
The Managing director also emphasized the company’s commitment to help develop the education sector and he indicated that Airtel will consider extending the gesture to other needy areas in the country.
In his reaction to the development, Redge Gopanikufa, the Chiradzulu district Coordinating Pair who represented the District Education Manager, thanked Airtel Malawi plc saying the gesture will help in reducing school dropouts in the area.
Gopanikufa indicated that a good number of learners in the area dropped out of school when they were told to go to other schools for senior primary school education on grounds that they had to travel long distances.
“Here in Chiradzulu district, there is a problem of shortage of classrooms but we want to commend Airtel Malawi for coming in and construct these two blocks. This means from now Mkuyu is a full primary school. We are urging parents to encourage learners who dropped out of school to come back,” said Gopanikufa.
The Coordinating Pair also indicated that at the end of every academic year, Mkuyu primary school headteacher was supposed to write down transfers of all successful standard four learners to other schools.
The school which was established in 2015, had 370 junior primary school learners and the population is expected to rise following the construction of the two blocks which have two classrooms each.
The two school blocks, the four toilets and the 80 two-seater desks have cost Airtel Malawi plc about K48 million.
