Malawi learners on street tear-gassed by police: Protesting against govt on nationwide teachers’ strike
Malawi Police have fired tear gas at hundreds of learners from some public primary schools in Blantyre on Monday took to the streets, asking authorities to address their teachers’ grievances so that they can resume learning.
The learners blocked the M1 at near Mbayani market causing traffic jam along the road. Some even went further by pelting stones at road users, mostly vehicles.
They were expressing their anger of teachers’ strike which started last week.
Clad in various school uniforms, the learners from HHI, Blantyre Girls, Ndirande-Kachere, Nyambadwe and Namiwawa primary schools put business to a standstill as they chanted in unison: “Tikhonza bwanji! Sitikuphunzira!! [How are we going to pass examinations when we are not learning! ].
The learners, aged between eight and 14, sang songs demeaning the Democratic Progressive Party administration while demanding that they immediately go back to school where teachers had abandoned chalk unless government pays everyone their leave grants.
Police fired teargas at the learners, saying the protests were unlawful because no prior permission had been granted.
There were no reports of serious injuries.
Opposition members in Parliament (MPs) took government to task over the issue, saying delaying the process of payment will affect most learners, some of whom are set to write their Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations starting this month end.
Making his comment on the proposed 2017/18 National Budget on Friday, MP for Dowa East Richard Chimwendo-Banda (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) asked government to explain what had been done to resolve the strike.
He described the situation as pathetic and cautioned government that it is sitting on a time bomb as people are tired with what is happening.
SATANA,I have no time to waste with a rogue who does not complehend the real issues.You and your President are the same in thinking capabilities because no one can advise the other.Any Malawian who can not symphatise with our young courageous children with brains to think what is good or bad,is not fit to live.SATANA OR NO SATANA,MATHANYULA WILL RETURN TO HIS HOMELAND OF USA COME 2019!!!!!!!!
Infact everything is not on truck. Water board bill, Escom bill, Malawi Housing Coorperation rental adjustments, Maizegate, burning of offices at Capital Hill, CHANCO standoff, Primary school and Secondary saga just to mention a few. I have heard kuti Secondary school teachers are planning not to administer MSCE exams next week until their problems are solved. Zalowa chinambalala
The police officers should just release the learners they caught yestarday coz leaners were fighting for their right to education which has been violeted by the government by not giving teachers their LG. Had it been that the govt paid teachears timely, learners wouldn’t have done this. So they have to be set free coz it is govt’s faut.
Koma zilikuno ku Malawi ndizomvetsa chisoni. Kulephera kupereka ndalama yochepa ngati imenei. On top of that, it was already budgeted that it would given to the teachers last year. Ena . Zikuvuta chifukwa chani. Ena anadyapo apa.
Cadets in the making.
Do not think politics everyday. Those kids have got guts and know who is not doing his/her job. There is no politics in this. the children just what to force authorities to do something so that they go back to class. Unless you tell me that all parents belong to opposition since i strongly believe that it is parents who should have pumped sense in there kids to do something so that the authorities should come back to their senses and do the right thing.
DDP is just adding a little salt to a wound.
Results of corrupt government. Busy miseu coz its easy to over pay Mota and get cash gate.
these kids are so brave compared to idiotic adults who dance and hand clap for APM Aand DPP government. these kids are our HEROES. BRAVO KIDS!!!!!!!
From June 14 to 18 1976 South Africa experienced one of the worst student protests in living memory. History books write that anything between 200 and 700 students were brutally massacred by the bullet of the police gun in what has been termed the Soweto Uprising. The main cause of these protests was the introduction of Afrikaans, the language of the elite, in all primary and secondary schools by the White Regime, to replace English and Zulu and other African languages in all instruction. Black students and their teachers did not want this to happen because they new that the whites were eager to remove anything that sounded African from the school system in that country and replace it with their own. Although the organizers of the protests made efforts to avoid any confrontation with the Police by changing routes several times to avoid police roadblocks, hell broke loose on 16th June when one careless police officer killed one out of 10,000 to 20,0000 students marching on the streets on that day. Students started pelting stones at police, vandalized property and blood became the order of the day. 700 students died and the state of South Africa was not the same after this date. Violence became the order of day in South African until Mandela came out of prison in early 1990s.
What am I saying here? Government needs to avoid creating chaos among demonstrating students since the situation can easily turn nasty. Tear-gassing minors can have irretrievable consequences to this country. So, police must move with care on this matter. I think the way to solve this problem is to deal with poor educational systems in the county and to ensure that teachers are paid according to the agreement so that they can return to the classroom. Let me also request those in politics to avoid using minors to score cheap political mileage by flooding streets with people who can hardly understand their left from their right or what their teachers are striking about. Let’s love our country and avoid staging anything that can causes uncontrollable disaster. Police need to remember that if mishandled youth can blow up this country in seconds. Like Bishop Msusa put it the other day, when the power of the muscle is angry the power of the gun is no longer feared and this is the mode we should not let our primary and secondary kids descend into in the predictable future. Let’s learn from history and let’s learn from South Africa. Let schoolers remain in school at all costs and when, for whatever reasons, they come out to the streets, let’s be careful how to handle them. Please note that Chanco students are much easier to handle than primary and secondary school learners. Let the police not apply on these kids, the same crowd control tactics they use when bringing peace to Chanco. This is a difficult group. Let us not walk on this path as a nation.
Otherwise, its good that the police managed to shepherd them to safety without causing scenes. Congratulations!
Kent Y.G. Mphepo – Blantyre.
If teenagers become violent stoning passing cars what is the police supposed to do. Standby I suppose. Judging from the age of these learners there is a hidden political hand here. A genuine grievance is being turned political. Opposition as the term implies have nothing better to offer. They make their money by opposing every little thing the Government of the day will be trying to do. Granted the teachers must be paid their dues as promised but the use of school children ,I say No. These children do not even know what constitute leave grant. These teachers are always on leave anyway. Go to any public school. You will find them basking in the sunshine as early as 8 o’clock
It is an open secret that the opposition is behind this commotion.Its silly of the opposition to be exploiting innocent school children in order to gain cheap political mileage.There is no way the opposition can make in-roads into the Southern region by inciting children to go on the streets.
Kanchacha and your DDP regional team where are you? Why can’t you put a stop to this nonsense?
It has nothing to do with the opposition, it is more to do with a failed government.
DPP woyeeeee!
Ana a sukulu tonse tikalandira a President ku airport akamachoka ku Oxford University
Kuyambira ku primary, secondary ndi ku sekondale tiyeni tonse tikalandire mtsogoleri wathu wokondedwa
THIS IS A REPEAT OF WHAT HAPPENED IN NOV 2014 WHEN PUPILS BLOCKED A ROAD TO SANJIKA
AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT CHILDREN DID NOT FEAR THE POWER OF THE GUN
THESE ARE COURAGEOUS KIDS THAN CHANCO STUDENTS. SHAME ON POLICE. SHAME ON DPP.
Oh,cry my dear father land!!! It is appaling to see our poor children in the streets being tear-gassed by their own Police Forces for protesting against the unfair humiliation of their teachers and yet,we are going to celebrate for our 53 years of the so-called independence.To see our wretched children in the streets,it gives an impression of the government’s tragic failure to enhance economic development of our country.What the government cares for,is to enhance the accumulation of wealth by the so-called leaders of all stripes.Muthalika has completely failed Malawians.When I see children in the streets some without shoes protesting against the government on behalf of their wretched teachers,it reminds us of the colonial era.Muthalika himself does not care so long,his children are safe and happy in the States where they are hoping to be joined by their father in the aforeable future.The DPP regime,must give the teachers what belongs to them instead of jetting-out to Oxford for tourism with a bunch rotten human-beings.Malawians,unite and let the useless President feel the pinch,enough is enough.
The Malawi police is pathetic. You actually tear gassed kids who are protesting because their future is at stake!!! why don’t you tear gas Mathanyula who can’t solve the CHANCO saga, shame on you!!!! you pathetic bafoons!!!
I thought Malawi is a democratic nation where citizens have rights to express their feelings. These are young children. Did not take weapons. Next time it will be vikwanje. Police had NO rights to teargas them rather than just watch them. Of -Course it disturbs their capability Of learning and catching up for exams. How can APM go to Oxford talk about education When it and a mess at home?? It does not make sense. Malawians u see what kind of government u have and leadership. Change this selfish old thieves. Or revolution.
Stones are ranked as weapons. Democracy also allows for freedom of movement. Children stoning cars. No no no. They must tear gassed. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Get your third party insured vehicle stoned and you won’t be able to spell democracy.
Boma kuyendetsedwa ndi anthu odzikonda koma olephera. Just sort out the Teachers’ grievances and all will be fine. Worse still, Teachers are not the only grieved here; the other Civil Servants have equally not received this “so called” Leave Grant money. Tionana.
I stand in solidarity with all the school kids that revolted.
President must be lucky as he is out of Blantyre. These kids could have stormed Sanjika the way they did with JB. But who is mobilising de kids to demo? Lucius Banda may be?
I hope the MPs will look closely at the vote of supply for Education and stop this madness. Poly is demanding 60% by July 1 or else they will put out the plug
mavuto amenewa atha kugwesa boma 2019,
They dont need to be tear gased they are innocent,y is it that is making government not to pay teachers?subtracting their yax will take a second y is it that u r failing to do now
firing teargas on these young ones is not a solution to this stand off. Why teargas those that are causing the teachers to be on strike. Leave the children alone please.
Malawi is really burning into ashes. If education of a standard 1 pupil is being disturbed, can such a pupil be able to finish school and get a degree in 16 years period from primary to university?
This is a total shame to APM and his DIPHIPHI government.
Why smoking this kids with the gas that used to punish murderers and hardcore criminals, this system is grooming this kids to be violent and one day they will revenge, and it will be too late for the Government to reverse the situation
Inu a polisi tasiyeni ana. Mwana wa 8 years kumphunyira tear gas. That’s child abuse.
CLUELESS GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .REALLY FAILING TO PAY LEAVE GRANTS TO TEACHERS BUT BUSY VISITING OXFORD UNIVERSITY AND BUYING LAPTOPS FOR MPS. PAC IS BEING VINDICATED HERE.
The down fall of many governments in Malawi starts with learners demonstrating against the ruling govt. History will repeat itself in 2019 kkkkkkkkkk. Watch out DPP!!
so sad and pathetic,why don’t we have substancial statement on the way forward on learning resumption and THE EDUCATION MINISTER is busy sleeping.Wake up from the slumber.
From which party MPs are the mentioned schools? Is it their parents who voted for these MPs and their parties? Will these parents vote for Chakwera in 2019 because of this issue? Is this issue so serious than the ones committed before the death of Bingu? With the serious atrocities and the so called poor governance in Bingu’s time people voted it back in 2014. So what is this issue that can shake the DPP? DPP is there to stay WHETHER Winston Msowoya likes it or not.
The government can never be bothered. Their children are studying in private schools abroad. Morally corrupt government……..