Anti-quota group withdraws threat on secondary schools shutdown

The Quota Must Fall Movement has withdrawn its earlier threat of a  complete shutdown of public secondary schools in the country citing patriotism and a ‘fruitful’ meeting with government officials as the main reasons.

Schools in Malawi opens on Monday September 16th, 2019.

The Movement’s chairperson Moses Mkandawire said this during a news conference held during the weekend that said government admitted flaws in the selection process.

Mkandawire was at pains to explicitly explain how the movement seem to embrace patriotism at the eleventh hour and also unpack how the meeting with government officials had been ‘fruitful’.

The Movement held closed door meetings with Education Minister William Susuwere Banda, Ministry of Education principal secretary Justin Saidi and other officials.

“The education sector has numerous challenges, way beyond the quota issue,so let’s give dialogue a chance. We shall formulate a joint committee to iron out our differences,” Mkandawire said.

Ironically,  other members of the Movement expressed ignorance on the latest development.

The movement’s coordinator , who is firebrand youth activist, Charles Kajoloweka said he was not aware of the reversal.

Another member of the movement the Reverend William Mumba  who had earlier said government should not underrate the anger of people as communities are ready to participate in the shutdown of secondary schools, said he could only comment after meeting other leaders.

Meanwhile,  all the demands the movement made in their petition including that of calling for the resignation of the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) chairperson Limban Nsapato have been frozen.

A few weeks ago, the education minister assured the nation that a special parliamentary commission to look into the quota system issue will be formulated very soon.

One of the people who took part in the anti-Quota system march last weekis Jessie Kaunda who  said she has two children in primary school and two in secondary school.

She fears they will be victims of the the quota system of selecting learners to public institutions if she does not fight for abolishment of the quota system.

Kaunda struggles to raise fees and other needs for the children. She begs in the streets to support the children and fears her efforts will be in vain if quota system is not abolished.