Back in class – The Mpondamwala experience
Education and COVID-19
After months of learning from home, students at Mpondamwala Primary School in Lilongwe rural west are back in class and preparing for their exams. For the most of them, they are excited to be back in school and are all equipped with masks.
17-year-old Ronnex Salami bought his mask at a nearby market in their community. “I’ll make sure to always wear my mask, and where possible keep distance with my friends when we’re interacting.”
Beatrice Madalitso could not contain her excitement when she heard about school reopening.
“I was happy because we could finally start learning again, our studies were interrupted out of nowhere. I missed my teachers a lot because they help us with learning, and at home we were deprived of this. However, the radio programmes were a great help.”
Fellow classmate, Florida Dyson, was equally thrilled when she heard about school reopening.
“It meant my future plans were back on track. I want to be a nurse when I grow up. My favourite subject is science. I am confident I’ll pass my exams and go to secondary school.
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Blessings Joseph, a teacher at the school says COVID-19 had several devasting impacts on the students. “Some girls have gotten married, pregnant, and others have dropped out of school. However, despite some of these effects from the school closures, I am confident that the students will pass their exams. They have enough time to revise, and the radio programmes also assisted them.”
Before re-opening, the school had its own preparedness activities. The headteacher and Primary Education Advisor organized a series of meetings guiding teachers on COVID-19 prevention measures and how to make face masks, as well as how to guide the students on how to wear facemasks. The school was also disinfected a few days ago before standard 8 classes commenced. Additionally, students were told to wash hands when they arrive at school, and regularly during the school day.
The first week of school was exciting for both students and teachers because UNICEF finally handed over the construction site to contractors to commence work on the new developments at the school. The school will get 6 new classroom blocks with solar power, an administrative block, and latrines for students and teachers. The construction is being done with support from the German National Committee for UNICEF.
“With these new developments we’re confident that we’ll have an increased enrollment, especially female enrolment. New classroom blocks will also bring safety for the children, as some old class blocks aren’t strong, others were destroyed last year due to heavy rains. Currently, some students learn outside and this complicates teaching for teachers,” says Mr. Joseph.
