Malawi public school pupils disrupt classes at JB Foundation
Pupils from some schools in Blantyre descended on Joyce Banda Foundation in Chimwankhunda in the commercial city pelting stones at the buildings and disrupted classes in protest against President Joyce Banda’s administration which they said is failing to stop the ongoing civil servant strike.
The private school was established byPresident Joyce Banda.
The drama ensued on Wednesday when irate pupils from Zingwangwa Primary and Secondary Schools and Chimwankhunda school marched to the President’s school and chased their fellow pupils there including teachers.
It took police to intervene to stop the pandemonium. But the presence of the police did not scare away the pupils who remained on campus in defiance.
“Why should they keep on learning when we have no classes, our teachers are on strike? We cannot take that. Their patron, the President has caused all this strike and we cannot allow to be missing classes while
this school enjoys,” said one pupil who did not want to be named.
Police spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa said identified five names which they will use to to find out what made the pupils to storm Joyce Banda foundation premises.
Joyce Banda Foundation Managing Director Roy Kachali Banda, refused to talk to journalists on the matter.
All the three public schools where the pupils came from are under the constituency of Information and Civic Education Minister Moses Kunkuyu.
Malawi civil servants went on a strike from last week and the strike reached climax with demonstrations in Lilongwe and Mzuzu demanding government to increase their salaries arguing life is becoming increasingly unbearable due to the devaluation and floatation of the kwacha championed by the Joyce Banda administration.
