Official Opening of MCHENGAUTUWA school extension

This is one of the schools participating in our Teacher training/Mentoring Project, involving 16 schools and over 25,000 students or learners as they call them in Malawi

Casca Reports:

REPORT FROM MCHENGAUTUWA (TWO ) PRIMARY OPEN DAY AND FUNDRAISING CEREMONY.
Background: This school started in 2004 in the internal part of Mchengautuwa township in Chipangano Church where it was surrounded by many houses. The aim of opening this school was to reduce the number of learners at Mchengautuwa (one) primary school.

At first there was standard one and two who were both learning in the church others were facing this side and the standard two the other side. When the owners of the church saw that learners were destroying the church they advised the Head teacher who was Mr E. Chitata that learners should be learning outside the church. The environment was not conducive for learning then the Nine Chiefs who are surrounded the school, the school committee, the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) and the parents decided to look for another place for this school said the DEM Mrs Anna Sichinga who was a guest in the ceremony.

In January 2006 the Mzuzu City Assembly with the Nine Chiefs located another place near Katoto river and that's where we are now. The parents built one timber block that they thached with grass and with three rooms and because of this timber block standard three was also introduced but there was one toilet for learners and the teachers too. Learners were using the bush to relieve themselves, said the DEM.

In 2008 - 2009 the school committee provided a temporary toilets, one for girls and one for boys.
Looking at all these problems the Headteacher Mr Chipofya who come after Mr Chitata wrote a proposal to American Embassy so that they could help us and they agreed the in 2009 they started to build one block with two rooms with an office which was opened on 20th April 2010. When the parents saw that the number of learners without classrooms , jointly with the school committee decided they decided to build another block with two rooms and they agreed that each learner should contribute K200.00 which they did so the school block with two rooms were also constructed and it is still in progress said the Headteacher.

At the meantime there are one thousand, nine hundred and twenty learners for four rooms and one temporally timber block with three rooms. There is standard One A, B, C, and D, standard Two A, B, and C, standard Three A, B, C and D, standard Four A, B and C standard Five A, B and C standard Six A and B and standard Seven A and B. At the meantime we are conducting double shift so that some learners can be also be accommodated when others have knocked off. Using school fund the school committee have provide one toilet and Wells for Zoe have provided us with clean water pump and now learners are drinking clean water and because of that we thank them for great work, said the Headteacher. They also give thanks to Lizzie with her Organisation has also provide them with one toilet for girls and one toilet for boys and urinal for girls and boys.

Looking at all these challenges, the Headteacher, Mrs C.C. Munthali, Teachers, PTA and the School committee decided to conduct a fund-raising in the term of an open day whereby the can raise money for the completion of the unfinished block. The invited guest were DEM Anna Sichinga, Acting DEM Edah Chuwa, the chief Executive of Mzuzu City Assembly, the PEA Katoto Zone, the Wells for Zoe Organisation, the schools in Katoto Zone that's including Kauwa, Katoto, Mchengautuwa one, Geisha, Kaziwale, Nambo Primery school and the Nine Chiefs surrounding the school and the parents.

For all these problems they are expecting all well wishers to help us in order to have a good environment for learners here at Mchengautuwa two primary school.

Casca reporting