CCJP offers fees bursaries to 47 secondary students in Chikwawa
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of Chikwawa Diocese has handed over cheques worthy thousands of kwachas to 7 secondary schools in Chikwawa district in a bid to assist the most vulnerable students progress in their studies.
Chikwawa CCJP’s Project Officer, Jimmy Mlia handed over the cheques to schools with a call to beneficiaries to work hard in class.
“We are presenting school bursaries to seven secondary schools in the district of which five are from Traditional Authority Makhwira and two are from Ngabu area. The funding we had through social welfare office at district level, we did an assessment to find out the students who were really struggling to pay school fees.
Then 47 students who were really in need of school fees were identified and we thought of assisting them,” he said.
He added that as students were struggling to find school fees, it was their opportunity to make the best use of the donation that also would give them a chance that would enable them to work hard and forget their past hard experience.
“To the beneficiaries I would urge them to work hard because the money doesn’t come from the blues. Some people had to work tiressly in order to fundraise the money. They must use the opportunity carefully and reasonably,” he added.
He further stressed his gratitude to the funders of the initiative; the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as well as the European Union (EU) who pumped in over K2, 000, 000 through CCJP’s Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) project.
On his part, Richard Julius, Deputy Head Teacher at Ngabu Secondary School commended Chikwawa CCJP for reaching out and touch vulnerable students at his school adding “we are most grateful for the particular gesture. We did not expect that our students would finish their education.”
These students have been lacking fees; they were under certain sponsorship which was withdrawn without any explanation. Vulnerability of students at our school is just pathetic and in the rise of school fees come next term, we don’t know what will happen,” said Julius.
The head teacher further said that it was worrisome that some students have been asking his office to grant them transfers to go to various Community Day Secondary Schools as they not able to raise a fee which is at around K30, 000.
“The students we have you can agree with me that they were selected to this school from a primary school and are the cream of the district and the nation as a whole so it pains us when we see such students dropping out of school due to problems such as fees.
To the beneficiaries we urge them to work hard because there are people out there who are working so hard just to make funds available for them,” he said.
Julius added: “We still have students who are lacking school funds and we know there are people out there, NGOs who would I would ask to come in and assist. If we aim at progressing, then we need to assist one another.”
On her part, Beatrice Malawi, Form 4 student at Mirole Community Day Secondary School commended the help from CCJP under GEWE saying it would help her concentrate much on her studies.
“I had a big problem on fees and I was confused on how to get it but now I know the fees is catered for, then I am sure all I need to do is put much more effort on my studies,” she said.
The sponsorship has taken on board Form 3 and 4 students and is expected to last for one year, covering all three terms. Among 47 targeted students, 41 are girls whilst six are boys from Ngabu Secondary School.
The schools whose students benefited from the initiative include; Nkhate CDSS, Livunzu CDSS, Limphangwi CDSS, Mitondo CDSS and Mirole CDSS in T/A Makhwira while Ngabu Secondary School and Makande CDSS were two schools which benefited from T/A Ngabu.
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