Our sisters in Malawi have written to tell us about the construction of classrooms and latrines at Ndayandika Primary School. The project came into being following consultation with the District Education Manager and the Primary Education Advisor as to which of the thirteen primary schools in the parish was in greatest need of classrooms and latrines.
Ndayandika, which has 1,240 pupils, was chosen for the provision of two classrooms, store room, office space and eight latrines. The rationale given states:
“The role of education in the development of the District cannot be over-emphasised. Government policy as stipulated in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) is to reduce poverty. Education therefore plays a vital role if any meaningful development and improvement of lifestyle are to be realised. Inadequate number of classrooms poses a great challenge for the Ministry of Education in the District. The district has identified poor quality education as one of its prioritized development challenges.”
The sisters are blessed in having a good contractor who has worked with them on similar projects and has brought each to a successful conclusion. The sisters are often asked who is responsible for the sustainability of the project. The Sisters of Charity have no further involvement in the project when it reaches completion because it is then handed over to the Ministry of Education who is responsible for the running of all the schools in the District. Primary Education is free, and the teacher’s salaries are paid by Government.
Construction work on the Ndayandika project commenced in July 2017 and was completed at the end of November 2017. The official opening took place on the 30th November in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Education, Local Government and the local community. The teachers, PTA and school committee were particularly grateful to the Sisters for providing their school with much needed classroom space and latrines.
The photos below give a small glimpse of the construction, and what happened at the opening and handing over of the new project.
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