Ministry ‘abandons’ school inspections
The onset of rains in some parts of the country has started affecting the teaching and learning process as government officials are failing to inspect public and private schools.
This has resulted in some schools operating below minimum standards.
Our visits to several schools in Lilongwe, Dowa and Salima found dilapidated structures being used for teaching and learning, with some of them leaking while others have walls which risk collapsing.
In other schools, classes are being abandoned the moment rains begin because they are being conducted outside and under trees or in structures that cannot withstand the rains and heavy winds.
One teacher at a private secondary school in Lilongwe confided in The Daily Times that, since the school started operating over six years ago, it has never been inspected by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
“We just hear that there is an Inspectorate Department at the ministry, but they have never been here. In an ideal situation, perhaps, our school should have been closed already. Classroom blocks are in pathetic condition and even sanitary facilities are not enough,” the source said.
The teacher said they feared for their safety and that of the students especially as rains are being accompanied by strong winds, which may destroy the structures.
“Imagine if these school blocks get destroyed by strong rains and winds, are we not going to lose lives? I think the government is not serious when it comes to inspecting schools,” he said.
When we contacted Ministry of Education spokesperson, Lindiwe Chide, last week, she asked for more time to gather information regarding school inspections.
She later could not pick our calls.
Yesterday, Principal Secretary (PS) in the ministry, Justin Saidi, referred us back to Chide whose mobile phone was out of reach up to the time we went to press.
While it is mostly private secondary schools that are in dilapidated state, some government schools are in similar conditions.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Civil Society Education Coalition, Benedicto Kondowe, said it is a concern that the government is not supervising and inspecting schools, aspects which are crucial for the attainment of quality education.
“Classes are being conducted under trees if not in dilapidated classrooms. In other instances, the quality of teaching is not meeting the requirements. We are very much concerned about this and we feel government is not serious when it comes to improving education standards in the country,” he said.
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