By Aliko Munde:
Achieving quality education in many rural areas of Malawi, particularly for girls, has always been challenging.
In Chitipa, for example, girl learners face pressure from their families and even boys to complete their studies.
They rise early to fetch water from boreholes or unprotected sources several kilometres from home before trekking several kilometres more to the nearest school.
Ester Kabaghe, a Form 2 student in the district, attests to the challenges she faces on her journey to school, walking 10 kilometres to Namatubi Community Day Secondary School (CDSS).
The 15-year-old describes her studies as a daunting ordeal with numerous distractions.
“When I was in Form 1, boys often pressured me to be their girlfriend but I always stood firm not to juggle two things at once,” Ester recalls.
Another learner, 21-year-old Christina Musukwa, requested self-boarding after enduring persistent pressure from boys seeking sexual favours on her way home from school.
Christina explains how girls like her look up to role models, but the long distances to school leave them exhausted and struggling to study.
“My parents agreed to let me self-board, but unfortunately, we are stigmatised as prostitutes due to activities that occur at night,” she explains.
Living at Chendo Trading Centre, Christina finds it difficult to focus in class due to these circumstances.
“Some of our friends dropped out because of pregnancy, which is really sad,” she says dejectedly.
However, challenges faced by Ester, Christina and others may soon be a thing of the past.
This follows the construction of a girls’ hostel at their school, which is currently nearing completion.
Funded by the World Bank through Chitipa District Council, the project aims to address challenges that girls grapple with in their daily journeys to school.
Ester is optimistic that the completion of the girls’ hostel will motivate female learners, leading to improved academic performance.
Christina agrees: “We will be able to focus more on our studies now that we will be boarding at school.”
Having faced these challenges for years, the community appealed for assistance, and Chitipa District Council, through the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) programme funded by the World Bank, responded by constructing the hostel.
Gesd aims to enhance local authorities’ responsiveness to citizen needs and improve service delivery based on district development plans.
Headteacher for Namatubi CDSS, Manje Kondowe, expresses gratitude to the World Bank and hopes the hostel will reduce dropout rates due to early marriages, pregnancies and transfers to other schools.
“The girls’ hostel will eliminate the challenge of long distances, making it easier to monitor the learners. This will lead to increased enrolment and reduced transfers, as the proximity to school will be more manageable,” Kondowe explains.
The teacher further appeals to Chitipa District Council to assist the school by constructing a dining hall and a kitchen.
The council’s Director of Planning and Development, Jossen Tembo, says the government is placing particular emphasis on girls’ education, with a focus on accommodation.
“Most girls rent houses near schools without guardians, which sometimes leads to decisions that impact their lives. To address this, we need controlled environments such as girls’ hostels,” Tembo states.
He believes consolidating girls under one roof will enable better supervision and safety, attracting more girls to school and reassuring parents.
To support the initiative, Chitipa District Council aims to improve girls’ education by providing financial assistance through the Constituency Development Fund and constructing additional hostels in CDSSs across the district.
Aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4, which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education, the newly built hostels are expected to enhance educational standards at the school.
Executive Director of Girl Rise Initiative Malawi, Tionge Mtambo, criticises self-boarding arrangements, saying they expose girls to risks such as early sexual relationships.
“In self-boarding, girls lack mentorship and face peer pressure, which hinders their education,” Mtambo explains.
She urges Chitipa District Council to collaborate with community groups and stakeholders to discourage early marriages and teenage pregnancies and advocate for more hostels to ensure the safety and academic focus of girl learners.
“If we educate a girl, she becomes empowered and less vulnerable to abuse. Let us prioritise girls’ education to achieve gender equality and empowerment,” Mtambo sums up.—Mana
