A Primary School Protests Over Dzaleka CDSS Closure Injures Two Passengers;

5 Protesters  Arrested

Sgt Richard Kaponda 

Umodzi Katubza Primary School Students at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa district went on run riot Monday morning and in the course injured two vehicle passengers and destroyed some school property.

The Primary school students also stoned their head teacher’s office before injuring the two vehicle passengers, Dowa Police Public Relations Officer told Malawi Voice. 

The riots were related to the temporary closure of Dzaleka Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) on Friday last week. Dzaleka CDSS was closed after students on Friday held protests demanding reinstatement of their Deputy Head Teacher a Congolese national who was teaching  Mathematics at the school. The employment contract of the said teacher  has not been renewed this year and the development has angered students .

On Monday, Sergeant Richard Kaponda said a nearby primary school students also went rampage because are angered with the temporary closure of Dzaleka CDSS and and very handful students from Dzaleka CDSS also joined pupils protests.

“The protests that started on Friday also happened today morning” said Sergeant Kaponda “The primary school students started throwing stones at their head teachers office saying they are deeply concerned that their brothers and sisters at Dzaleka CDSS are not learning.”

“When we were trying to calm down the situation, the pupils tried to runaway then closed Lumbadzi Dowa road. In the course of continuing throwing stones, they smashed front door glass of a vehicle coming from Dowa heading to Lilongwe. Two passangers were injured and were taken to Dowa hospital."

"As of now we have arrested five suspects"  The Officer said the suspects are a Form 2 student, two pupils of standard 6, one pupil of standard 5 and a standard 4 pupil. He said the students ages ranges from 14 to 18 but declined to name them.

The five have been leveled with charges of Malicious Damage and Asualt (Unlawful Wounding).

"The situation as of now is quet” He said but indicated that police are continuing with patrols around the area.

He said school officials from Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Dzaleka Day Secondary School and the primary school as well as Camp Administrator and Police were in the day discussing ways of ending the riots.