Hundreds of students at Mtakataka Community Day Secondary School in Dedza can now learn more comfortably following the donation of 100 new school desks valued at K20 million, aiming to improve the learning environment, allowing pupils to focus better and participate actively in their studies.
The donation was made on Wednesday by a consortium of four oil marketing companies: Total Energies, Petroda, Puma, and Vivo Energy, operating together as Petroleum Importers Limited (PIL), where Operations Manager Edmond Pingani emphasised the importance of private sector support in education.
“As a company, we believe that access to quality education is fundamental to the development of any nation. Most public schools in Malawi face serious shortages of basic learning resources, and the government cannot address these challenges alone. Through this donation, we are complementing government efforts and reaffirming our commitment to social responsibility,” said Pingani.
He further encouraged students to work hard in their academic pursuits and urged the school community to take good care of the desks to ensure their longevity and benefit to future learners.
Mtakataka CDSS headteacher, Madalitso Chidathi, expressed deep gratitude for the timely support, saying the school has, for years, grappled with inadequate infrastructure and teaching resources.
“In our Form One and Form Three classes, we had a critical shortage of desks. Some students, especially girls, were struggling to attend classes due to the lack of proper facilities. In some cases, newly selected students opted to drop out or transfer to other schools,” said Chidathi.
Central and Western Education Division representative, Osbin Misatchi also commended PIL for the gesture and encouraged other companies to emulate, saying “Government needs such type of support from the private sector.”
Mtakataka CDSS serves approximately 266 students from the surrounding villages of Chitule, Malili, Kudzawe, and Mkwaila in Dedza district.
