Machinga Boarding Secondary School Project Underway-Ministry Of Education

Lonely Magreta: Ministry is constructing
Boarding secondary 

The Ministry of Education Science and Technology has assured people of Machinga district that they will soon have a boarding Secondary School.

People in Machinga district especially young people are demanding construction of a boarding secondary school as the district is currently the only district without boarding secondary school since Balaka which was part of Machinga was declared a district, making Balaka boarding Secondary School inaccessible to pupils from Machinga.

At the moment, pupils from Machinga who access to boarding schools are only top students selected to competitive National Government Secondary Schools like students from all other districts, however, mid-level students from the district are selected to Community District Secondary Schools and Community Day Secondary Schools unlike in other districts where mid-level students go to boarding District Secondary Schools and only third tier students go to Community Secondary Schools.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Committee of Education over the week, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Lonely Magreta assured that the project for the construction of district boarding Secondary School is underway in Machinga.

However, she admitted that financial challenges in terms of allocation of funds for the project are not adequate and therefore this is causing delays to complete the project in good time.

“The delays are not necessarily for Machinga district only” she added, “Projects in other districts are facing similar problem in terms of allocation, resources are not adequate to complete the projects but we hope that more resources will be provided in the coming budgets.”

Magreta explained in an interview that construction for Boarding Secondary School in Machinga is being done in phases. She said at the moment they are constructing teaching area, staff houses and multipurpose hall.

“And then as we continue the next financial year and possibly the other financial year, we will go to the next phase where we will start constructing the boarding facilities.” assured Magreta

“The policy of the Ministry of Education is that each and every district is provided for in terms of various categories of secondary schools to reduce the distance being covered by the students to where they have to commute but also to ensure that there is increased equitable access to secondary education by the students in each and every district” said Magreta

The project for the construction of Machinga District Secondary School began in 2014 At Chabwera village in T/A Sitola in Liwonde.

People in Machinga have been complaining of the progress of the project and lack of information if indeed the project is a boarding secondary school or just a Community day secondary school.

One of the youth groups leading the campaign for the construction of the Secondary School in the district is a group of students from the University of Malawi called ‘University Students Association of Machinga’ (USAM) which has described the situation as "Injustice" to people of Machinga.

Jonas

Jonas Matope, President for the USAM said absence of district secondary school is causing numerous problems among students in the district.

“Our issue is that we want to have a boarding Secondary School in Machinga as is the case with other districts in Malawi.” He said

“It is a known fact that the quality of education in community day secondary schools is very low.” said Matope “ this selection of the second tier group of students in Machinga into community Day Secondary Schools affects their ability to compete for college places."

He added that lack of boarding school is not only subjecting alot of students in the district to walk long distances every day to reach their community day secondary schools, but also increasing school dropouts among girls who in most cases get pregnant when they leave home to do 'self boarding' in communities nearby their schools.

Matope said the concerned youths in the district are suggesting to government that due to delays in the construction of Machinga Boarding Secondary School and looking at challenges students are facing, it is better that Government should consider turning Machinga Teachers Trainig College (TTC) into Boarding Secondary School for the district until such a time the project of constructing a fully functional boarding school is completed.

“We would like to have Machinga TTC be used as Secondary School while we wait for the completion of the said Secondary School that Government intends to construct.” concludes Matope who vowed that his group is set to persue with their stad if there will be no progress in the construction of the boarding school.

TTC Students To Start Paying School Fees

Students selected to pursue their studies in all government funded Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) will start paying school fees.

The Malawi Government through Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has introduced school fees in TTCs  following the upward revision of school fees at various levels of education and abolition of policy of sponsoring students selected to Pubic Universities and Domasi College of Education in order to achieve cost sharing.

Magreta: TCC students needs to pay fees

Secretary for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Lonely Magreta, said Students  in Teacher Training Colleges will now be required to pay K105,000 fees per per year unlike in the  previous  years  when  they were  not  required  to pay  any  fees. Instead of paying   fees,  they were receiving  an allowance of K1,500 per month.   

"The K105,000  fees  per year per student  is a mere  20% contribution  to the actual  cost of training" she said, "The  K105,000 is actually lower than what  other students  pay for similar teacher training programmes  which  are offered by DAPP which charges K156,000 per student per year  and no upkeep allowances are  paid to the students."

Magreta; this fees is just 20% of actual cost 

However, Magreta said when the  students will be conducting teaching practice during their second year  of training , they  will be entitled  to  an allowance  of K20,000 per month  which  Government will  be obligated to provide.

Like all arrangements made to all Needy Students  selected  to pursue courses at both  Public and Private Universities and colleges, TCCs students will have to apply for either  loans or bursaries from the recently  introduced Higher Education  Students’ Loans  and Grants which are being managed and administered by Higher  Education  Students’ Loans and Grants  Board.

Govt Wants Cost Sharing; Higher Education, Secondary School Fees Revised, As Students Sponsorship Abolished

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has made some changes on fees paid in both secondary schools and Public Universities.

Changes that are with immediate effect in the 2015/2016 Academic Year, includes abolishes sponsorship towards students pursuing studies in Public Universities.

Magreta: we need cost sharing 

Mrs. Lonely Magreta, Secretary for Education, Science and Technology, announced the changes on Saturday in Lilongwe, at a press conference.

She said school fees at at the three levels; Secondary, Tertiary and High Level education were unrealistic and too little hence the need for cost sharing since "Government resource envelope cannot suffice to meet all the requirements"

She then expressed hope that new changes will improve the quality of education and help to make available of all necessary resources in education.

Changes On Secondary School fees

Mainly, Public Secondary school tuition fees per term have been revised from K500 to K3,000 and other changes are on Textbook Revolving Fund now at K3,000, General Purpose Fund at K2,000, MCDE module fee MK1,000 and Centre fee at K7,000 (for Open Secondary Schools) and  Development Fund is now at K2,000 which in the past varied between different schools depending on the project being undertaken in a particular school.

From the new figures, the total amount of money to be paid as school fees per term will be seen to be higher due to major changes made on boarding fees. But the revised secondary school fees will come into effect from 4th January, 2016

National Government Secondary Schools boarding fees have been revised from K1,500 to K25,000 whereas National Grant Aided Secondary Schools boarding fees has been slightly changed from K55 to K65 thousand. District Boarding Secondary School boarding fees are now at ranges of K35,000 to K40,000 and this change also applies to District and Community Day Secondary Schools that have partial boarding facilities (girls hostels)

Mrs. Lonely Magreta, said the standardization of boarding fees is a response to concerns raised by parents over the increase in the price of goods and services on the open market. She said the Ministry has therefore raised boarding fees to enable schools to run boarding facilities effectively and also to bring about uniformity in fees charged across schools as well ad improve the diet.

Now, total amount of school fees would be K35,000 for National Secondary schools, K75,000 for National Grant Aided Secondary Schools and K35,000 to K50,000 for District Secondary Schools (similarly to District and Community Day Secondary schools with girls hostels). But, fees at District and Community Day Secondary Schools will be at K10,000 while Open Day Secondary School, fees will be K12,000.

Changes In Colleges

The Secretary for Ministry of Education said Government has abolished programme of selecting Government sponsored students in all Public Universities. She therefore said all students will be required to pay amount of tuition fees  payable  for similar programmes.

Government sponsored students who were getting up keep allowance, paid K55,000 per year a lesser  tuition fees than self sponsored  students who were required  to pay K275,000 per year.  

"The previous  arrangements of having  Government  sponsored  and Self  sponsored  students was a recipe for disaffection amongst students and created  unfortunate impression  that some students  were more favoured  by Government than others." Said Magreta but noted  that Government sponsored students  who were enrolled  in Public Universities during the past  years  up to  2014 will still be eligible to receive  upkeep allowances until they complete  their studies.

She said this also applies to Domasi College of Education. She said in the case of Domasi the revision of tuition fees is aimed at bringing  about parity.

"Before  the revision, the College had Government  sponsored students who were paying  K1,500  per year for either a Diploma  or Degree course whereas  self sponsored students  were paying K180,000 for a Diploma  course  and K220,000 for a  Degree course.  The revision of fees has removed discrimination in the fee structure.

After all,  students who graduate with either diplomas or degrees from Domasi College of Education are employed in the public service on equal  terms with those who graduate with diplomas  and degrees  from other  Public Institutions of Higher Learning." She explains

"The potency of Government to provide its citizens with either heavily subsidized or virtually free secondary, tertiary and higher education is increasingly becoming less tenable in the face of a limited resource envelope and competing priorities.  This trend is not only evolving in Malawi  but also  in many  countries in  the world.

Government  has a choice of either  having   education system  which  is  under resourced and uncompetitive  or very well resourced  through the  co-sharing  of costs between  Government  and individual beneficiaries. Any well meaning Malawian will choose the latter.  That is the direction that the  Malawi  Government has taken  while at  the same time  ensuring  that needy students are not left behind in their quest for quality  education." Explains Magreta

Magreta has indicated that Students who will not be able to pay the revised fees in Secondary Schools, will continue to be assisted by Government to access bursaries. Needy students  who will be selected  to pursue courses at Domasi College of Education and those pursing courses at both  Public and Private Universities,  will  be eligible  to apply for recently  introduced Higher Education  Students’ Loans  and Grants which are being managed and administered by Higher  Education  Students’ Loans and Grants  Board.