Students raze Malosa Secondary school, want administration out
Rowdy students this week went wild and set on fire part of Malosa Secondary School in Zomba to express their resentment with what they are calling “rotten school administration”.
The students want authorities to transfer the school Headmaster, Rev Harold Nasolo, for “gross incompetence.”
Eastern Region Police Spokesperson, Thomeck Nyaude, confirmed the incident but said investigations were underway to establish the cause (of fire) and extent of damage.
“I can confirm that part of the school has indeed been destroyed by fire but we are yet to establish the cause. Our officers are on the ground and we should be able to provide you with information later,” Nyaude told Nyasa Times in a telephone interview from Zomba.
But according to Nyasa Times investigations, the students set on fire the library and archive.
“The students set the structures on fire around 02:00am in anger of the suspension of their 33 friends last week. Luckily, the fire was put out by the Zomba fire brigade team which responded swiftly,” said an eye witness.
According to the disgruntled students, over the past months the school has been characterised by poor diet, poor hygiene, lack of conducive learning environment and ill-treatment of students by Rev Nasolo.
Some students who called Nyasa Times claim that Rev Nasolo, despite being a man of God, has turned tyrannical and is running the school as his personal farm.
The secondary school belongs to the Anglican Church and is under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Shire.
“At the start of our school term, we wrote the Bishop [Right Rev Brighton Vitta Malasa] asking him to either transfer the headmaster or address our issues but nothing so far has happened.
“We feel the environment is not that of a school but detention camp and we cannot accept it,” one irate student told Nyasa Times on condition of anonymity.
The student said after their petition authorities responded by suspending 33 students, a development that widened the gap between the students and school management.
On Wednesday, the school management called for a meeting, which was attended by Ministry of Education officials, police and Anglican Diocesan Education Secretary Father Tebulo, to discuss the matter.
During the meeting management expressed its wish to send all students home but the ministry officials declined the proposal arguing there was no valid reason to do that.
In another development, authorities have indefinitely suspended all Form IV students at Bandawe Girls Secondary School in Nkhata Bay for what the school authorities described as ‘gross indiscipline.’
The school’s administration, through Head teacher, a Mrs Msowoya said the Form 1V students have been sent home because they exceeded limits in their misconduct.
On the other hand, students at the school are accusing the administration of poor administration.
According to information, the students and school management have been disagreeing on several issues resulting in the suspension of the alleged ring leaders (all form 4 students).
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