Councillor Lipikwe facilitates career guide talk for Limbe Primary School learners
Limbe Central Ward Councillor, Gerald Lipikwe on Monday facilitated an inspirational career guide talk for Limbe Primary School learners in which he involved two influential alumni — an senior engineer and a chartered accountant.
The two inspirational speakers are high profile professionals — Audrey Mwala, Managing Director of her own companies Sycamore Credit Limited and Sycamore Consult and Sharmey Banda, Senior Engineer at Roads Authority.
Under the theme, ‘Looking Back; Preparing a Successful Future’ the two impressed on the young minds by indicating how they reached this far, that it all has to do with nurturing dreams and aspirations which all start at their age.
Mwala impressed on the kids by telling of a story of a poor girl whose life’s journey as she grew up was full of challenges.
She told them of this girl who overcame her poor background worked hard in school in order to realize the dreams and aspirations she set.
She told them that this girl was selected to Providence Secondary School and went on to study Bachelor of Accountancy at the Polytechnic; that she went into the corporate world but continued to study, this time studying at Malawi College of Accountancy where she attained her chartered accountancy.
This girl went further to become a fellow of the Management Institute of Chartered Accountants and that she also has an MBA and also went for further studies in the US.
“Today, this girl is a member of Board of directors of several companies including being chairperson of Board of directors for Press Trust. Today, that girl is a member of the Reserve Bank of Malawi’s Monetary Policy Committee.
“Today, that girl now owns a company Sycamore Credit Limited situated along Victoria Avenue in Plantation House.
“That girl is me, Audrey Mwala. You can be Audrey Mwala and realize the dreams and aspirations that she had if you work hard and stay away from peer pressure.
“If Audrey Mwala achieved success in her life, just know that you yourselves can achieve it. You have all what it takes to achieve much more than what I have achieved.”
She engaged with the learners interactively asking some what they aspire to do and from their responses, she told encouraged them nurture their dreams and work towards achieving them.
“Take the extra mile by being your own competition — not on someone else and also encourage others who work hard because they too will assist you.”
She warned girls never to think of love relationship, saying time for that shall come all in good time just as she did in which her dreams were to set up a good family, which she has.
Engineer Sharmey Banda had a different touch — he was raised in a financially stable family but was so truant, loved his football and neglected studying.
It wasn’t until his best friend got selected to HHI Secondary School that it hit him so hard for him to follow suit after being humiliated by his friend’s school mates.
He told them of the system in the old days where schools were made to line up the streets to welcome former President Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda and when he had approached his HHI school friend on one occasion, his school mates chided him not to chat with primary school chaps.
“That pained me so much and when I went home I told my sister that I want to go to secondary school but she told me in the face: ‘how can you when you don’t study’.
“That’s it, I told myself that I need to study and I religiously did and got selected to William Murray. From then on I never looked back and got to the Polytechnic to study Bachelor of Science in Engineering.”
He impressed on them that every subject they love and do well in is the one which can shape their career but they must not forsake other subjects.
“This is the stage that is very crucial in your life. Your career path has started at this stage from Standard 6-8. So make good use of it because that is what you shall lean on towards going to the university.
“Above all, respect your teachers, I owe my success because of teachers and you too must realize that you can realize your dreams if you put your trust in your teachers.
After been appraised by the school’s management that one of the challenges they face are broken window panes, Mwala and Banda donated a total of K150,000 to the school replace some of the broken window panes.
Banda promised to liaise with alumni of the school through their whatsapp chat group and mobilize more funds to replace all window panes.
Councillor Lipikwe, himself an alumnus of the school, also pledged two months to mobilize funds and buy new window panes.
He applauded school management for embracing his idea for the career talk, saying the idea was to prepare the learner for the future and inspire them to realize their dreams.
“This is just the beginning because I plan the same for Chichiri and Kanjedza primary schools which are in my Ward and one day we shall organise a day’s career talk festival for all three schools,” he said.
The school’s best performing learners that earned overall position 1-3 in last term’s examinations were awarded with prizes and interesting all went to girls, evidence that girls are on a competitive edge against fancied boys.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
